Sacred Ground
by Enelya Falcone
Summary: Jim gets a little more than he bargained for when he finds a sixteen-year-old runaway named Blair. Warning: Contains spanking of teens in most chapters. If that bugs ya then please don't read.
1. Chapter 1

Jim sat out in his truck watching the abandoned warehouse. He'd been on the stakeout for five hours and was ready to call it quits for the night. His thoughts turned to the kid they had found or rather caught lurking around the place two weeks ago.

_**flashback**_

_Yellow crime scene tape surrounded the building; there were four police cars and a pick up truck surrounding the front. Several cops milled about, taking statements and keeping the general public back, except for one sixteen-year-old college student._

_Blair Sandburg watched the scene from a distance. He was formulating a plan to get in without the cops noticing him. _

_Man, how could I have forgotten my pack? I never leave without it. What the heck was I thinking? I guess I was thinking about that lecture today. If I had remembered my pack, I wouldn't have to deal with getting around the cops._

_He watched a few more minutes and noticed that the cops outside kept their backs to the building and weren't really watching the sides. Blair slipped off to one side and snuck into the building. He trotted off down the hall to his one room apartment._

_Halfway there he was snagged from behind. "Hey Chief, where do you think you're going? Didn't you see the yellow tape outside?" His captor asked. Blair turned and looked up into the blue eyes of Detective James Ellison._

"_Uhm..hi. Uh..I came back for my pack. I was halfway to school when I realized I forgot it. I'll just go get it and be outta here. " Blair said nervously._

_Jim turned his captive around, looked at the kid a little surprised, and said, "You're a kid. What's a kid doin' in a place like this?"_

"_Uhm well I live here. If you'll just let me go and get…" Blair started, but the look on the detective's face had him pausing. _

"_You live here? Where's your Mom? Let me speak to her." Jim told the confused and frightened teen. He could hear the kid's heart beating rapidly and his frantic breathing. _

_**end flashback**_

A movement from the shadows of the building caught his eye and brought Jim out of his memories. He watched a young man look around and then quickly slip inside the place. Jim waited a moment, made sure his gun was ready, and then went after his target.

The young teen was glad when he found one of his leather hair ties in the one room apartment he used to live in. He quickly tied his hair back; revealing two gold hoops in his left ear, and resumed the search for his backpack. He had forgot about it when the detective had asked about his mother, and wasn't able to sneak out of his foster home till tonight.

When they found out he was sixteen and both parents were presumably deceased, Social Services was called and they placed the teen in a foster home. A loving foster home were the words they used, but teen snorted at the description. If _that_ was their idea of a loving home, he'd rather live on the streets. Turning his attention back to what he came to do, the youth went looking in the closet. "Found it. Now to get out of here." He mumbled softly to himself. He turned and slammed into someone behind him.

Jim barely flinched as the youth connected with his chest. He had put his gun away when he had seen the young teen and caught the kid by his upper arms, after the boy had slammed into him. " Blair? What are you doing here at this time of night? Do the Sharp's know where you are?" He asked, shocked to see the young man.

The Sharp's, yep that was the perfect name for the family. Blair thought about that for a moment, and then brought himself back to his present situation. " I had to get my pack. No they don't! I doubt they care anyway! They're just in it for the money! " Blair snapped. He hadn't meant to, but it angered him that some people were that way.

Jim was taken aback by the tone and words Blair had used, and had loosened his hold on the youth. He was rolling Blair's words around in his head, when his sentinel hearing heard soft whimpers and moans followed by a soft hitched breathing, and the smell of unshed tears assaulted his sensitive nose. He looked over and saw the wince of pain cross over Blair's face.

Blair hadn't realized how sore his back was until he hefted his pack on to it. Tears leapt into his blue eyes as he slowly put his pack back down. He tried to bite back the whimper that was in his throat, but only managed to muffle it a bit. He looked up at Jim wondering if the detective had heard him.

Jim was concerned by the rapid heartbeat he was hearing now. "Chief, what's wrong? Are you hurt? Is there something going on at home? " He asked, concern wrapping around his words. Without warning, Blair launched himself against Jim's chest and sobbed softly.

The sobbing was too soft to be heard by normal hearing, but Jim's sentinel hearing picked up each heart-wrenching sob loud and clear. He could smell the salty tears Blair was shedding against his chest. Jim ran his hand over Blair's soft, brown, curls and ended up with the leather tie in his hand. He ran his hand over the kid's head again, but when he touched Blair's back, Blair squirmed to get away.

"No! Don't…please… don't. It hurts." Blaire whimpered softly trying to get away.

Jim moved his hand back to Blair's neck and held the squirming teen gently, but firmly. "Shh, take it easy Chief. Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you." Jim said rubbing the back of Blair's neck.

"I'm okay now. My back hurts, though." Blair said, after calming down first. He looked up at Jim and hoped that maybe the detective could help him.

A loud ringing filled the room, and Jim hurriedly fished the cell phone from his pocket.

"Ellison!" Jim barked. " Yeah Simon. No it was a bust. I did find something interesting though. We'll talk about it when I get back. Oh really? He did? They are? Alright Simon I'll be there as soon as I can."

Blair listened to the conversation intently, and then froze when he heard the last little bit of the conversation. He concentrated on getting his breathing back to normal first. The Sharp's must've found out he was gone and called the police pretending to be worried. The thought of what they might do to him once back at their house, had him feeling sick to his stomach.

Jim felt the subtle changes in the young man still huddled against him. "Chief, you okay?" he asked, wondering what had set the kid off now. Something was wrong, Jim just didn't know what yet. "Chief, listen Simon needs me to come back to the station. I'm bringing you with me." He explained and unprepared for what happened next.

"No!" Blair screamed and squirmed out of Jim's grasp. He bolted out the door towards the safety of outside. He was halfway to freedom when he was grabbed from behind. Blair thrashed against his captor till a low, angry voice whispered in his ear. "Knock it off Chief, or you will be riding to the station with a very sore backside."

The thrashing teen stopped immediately at the threat. He turned huge, innocent, disbelieving, eyes up at Jim and asked, "You wouldn't really, would you?" It wasn't possible, was it?

"It's a promise Chief. C'mon lets go out to my truck." Jim answered. He released the teen slowly and latched on to his right arm. They went out to Jim's pick up truck. Jim opened the passenger side, helped Blair in, pointed a finger at him and said, " Stay put."

Blair nodded and reached for the seatbelt. He had no intention of moving from the truck, not with the threat Jim had just posed a few minutes ago. The Sharp's had made threats close to Jim's before, but this was different. This one didn't frighten him, well it made him worry about his backside, but he felt safe with Jim.

When they reached the station, Jim noticed that Blair was completely agitated again. " Hey Chief, you okay? You wanna tell me what's going on? "

Blair shook his head. He didn't want to talk about it, yet. He turned his head and stared out the window. Jim sighed and got out of his truck. He walked around to the passenger side, opened the door and motioned for the teen to get out.

The walk inside to Simon's office was too short for Blair. Once he saw who was sitting in there, he froze by Jim's desk and wouldn't go any further. When Jim realized he lost his shadow, he turned and saw the frightened expression on Blair's now pale face.

He followed Blair's gaze to the couple in Simon's office. Everything that was bothering him made sense now. Blair's words about them not caring, his sore back, the phone call from Simon and telling Blair they were going to the station. The kid was frightened of them, and Jim and an angry feeling he knew why.

"C'mon Chief. I'll be in there with you. They won't hurt you anymore, I promise." Jim told him. Relief filled Blair's eyes, as he looked up at Jim. The youth threw his arms around Jim's waist and whispered, " Thanks."

Jim ran his hand over the head of curls laying against his chest. " I always keep my promises Chief." He said softly. Blair looked up at him and smiled, then chanced a look at the couple in Simon's office.

Feeling Blair stiffen, Jim looked over his shoulder at Simon's office and saw that the couple was now staring at them and glaring at Blair vehemently. Jim narrowed his eyes at the couple for a moment, and then turned back to the young man, who had wormed his way into Jim's heart in a few short hours.

"Everything's gonna be okay, Chief. C'mon, we can't put it off anymore. " Jim told the trembling youth. Blair looked up and nodded slowly. He straightened up and allowed Jim to put an arm around his shoulders, which weren't as sore as the rest of his back.

Simon barked his usual command of "Enter!" when Jim rapped on the captain's door. Jim heard Blair's heart rate spike when they came face to face with the Sharp's. He rubbed the teen's arm reassuringly to calm him.

"There you are Blair. We've been so worried about you. Come on, we'll take you home now. Thank you for finding him Detective Ellison." Mrs. Sharp said flashing Jim the most charming smile she could. Mr. Sharp sat with a stern look that was aimed directly at Blair.

Blair snorted softly at the fake concern being thrown his way. He knew it was an act to make them seem like concerned parents. He hoped neither of the men were falling for it, especially the one to whom he was clinging to at the moment. The stern look had him shaking again though, and he pressed himself closer to Jim.

Jim sensed the distress coming from Blair. He rubbed the teen's arm again to reassure and calm him. Leaning down, Jim whispered, " It's okay Chief. I promised I wouldn't let them hurt you anymore and I always keep my promises. Remember?"

Blair nodded and began to take deep breaths like his mother, Naomi, had shown him to do when he got upset. He noticed that as he relaxed, the detective next to him relaxed as well. He wondered what that was about.

Satisfied that the teen was once again calm, Jim looked at Simon and said, " Simon, I can't allow them to take Blair home. It's not in his best interest. He can stay with me tonight if need be, but I refuse to let him go with these people."

Simon opened his mouth to question Jim's actions, when Mrs. Sharp spoke. " What?! Excuse me Detective Ellison, but what do you mean it's in Blair's interest that he not return home with us? What's he been telling you?"

"Probably more of his lies. He also embellishes on his stories as well. Detective Ellison, I would like to know what stories Blair has been telling now." Mr. Sharp said, casting another glare at Blair.

" Really? I haven't heard much out of the kid yet. He told me he wanted to get his pack, but that was about it. I don't recall him saying anything else." Jim paused for a moment, letting the information sink in. The Sharp's seemed to relax at the information, but stiffened when Jim continued. " However, I made some rather interesting observations. Did either of you know that Blair is injured?"

A bead of sweat had formed on Mr. Sharp's forehead, his breathing and heart rate had both elevated. " No we didn't. Blair must've hurt his back while he was out gallivanting around." Mr. Sharp told Jim. Mrs. Sharp nodded in agreement.

Blair began to bounce on the balls of his feet in excitement at the words that were spoken. He looked up at Jim and wondered if he had heard the slip up as well. He felt a gentle squeeze to his arm and saw the small smile play across Jim's lips. It was then he knew Jim had heard.

Jim couldn't help the smile that had appeared on his face. The bundle of energy next to him, had him feeling a certain amount of protectiveness towards the kid. He didn't know how he was going to be able to let him go to another foster home tomorrow. He turned back to the task at hand. He pinned the couple with a stern glare and said calmly, "Now why would you say that Mr. Sharp? I never said where the injury was."

Mr. Sharp swallowed hard. He glanced at his wife, then back at the angry looking detective. " I just assumed, detective. He didn't seem to be limping or bandaged anywhere else. " Mrs. Sharp nodded and added, " Detective Ellison, Blair has obviously pulled the wool over your eyes with one of his elaborate tales. Let us take him home and we'll make

sure he stops those silly tales of his."

The explosion happened before Jim could stop it. " Liars! You both know that my back's hurt and you both know why!" Blair yelled. His eyes were filling fast with tears, his body was trembling and he pointed his finger at each one while he erupted with the next tidbit of information. " He beat me with his…his…while you just stood there and watched! I'm not going back there with you ever!"

Two sets of thunderous eyes turned to the Sharp's. Blair stood off to the side with his arms wrapped around himself. Tears slipped down his face on to the red flannel shirt he was wearing. He wiped a sleeve across his face to keep anyone from noticing.

The hitched breathing found it's way to the sentinel's ears. Jim looked over at the kid and saw how miserable, scared and lonely he looked. He caught Simon's eye, then nodded his had slightly towards Blair. Simon looked over, then back at Jim and nodded. Jim turned another hard glare at the Sharp's, and then walked over to the trembling teen.

"How you doing, Chief?" Jim asked, wrapping an arm around the teen's shoulders and drawing him close. Blair unwrapped his arms from around himself and wrapped them around Jim's waist. He laid his head on the detective's chest and whispered, " I'm okay now."

Jim stroked the soft brown curls. He knew the request he was about to make was going to be hard on the both of them. "That's good to hear kiddo. Chief, I need you to do something for me." He told the young man softly.

"Sure Jim what is it?" Blair asked, moving back a little to look up at the detective. He wondered what the detective could want from him.

"Simon and I have to take a look at your back. We want to see what kind of damage was done." Jim said, waiting for the explosion. The increased heart rate and breathing, were Jim's first clues that his young charge was not happy with his request.

"Why do you have to see? I mean it hurts and I don't think I can get my shirt off without pain." Blair started. He didn't want the Sharp's to be in there either, but he didn't want to admit that.

"Chief we have to see how bad your injuries are. That's why, and if you need help, one of us can help you." Jim explained, even though he knew it was useless as he felt the young man tense.

Blair was scared and covered up the only way he knew how. "No way! I don't need anyone else touching me! I'm outta here!" He yelled, jerking himself away from Jim's gentle grip. He began to pace the room and gesture with his hands while he proceeded to yell. "You're just like them! You think I'm lying and want to prove it! Well no way man! I'm soo outta here!" Blair picked up his backpack and headed towards the office door at his last sentence.

Jim nabbed the kid by his shirttail, before he'd even stepped one foot out of Simon's office. "Hold on there kiddo. You're not going anywhere." Jim said, drawing the teen back over to him. He quickly dodged the backpack that was immediately swung at his head.

"You see detective, that's what we had to put up with. He's wild and strikes at us." Mrs. Sharp immediately said. She was hoping the teen would distract the cops enough so she and her husband could slip out of the room unnoticed.

Simon didn't even notice the couple making their way towards the office door, till Jim looked up at them then grimaced as he felt a sharp kick to his shin. The Sharp's stopped when they stepped out of the office.

"Hey Simon, lose something?" A voice asked as the Sharp's backed into the office. Simon looked up, then smiled as Joel Taggert came into the office behind the Sharp's.

"Thanks Joel. We're having a bit of a problem here and I don't need these two taking advantage of it." Simon said, turning an angry glare to the Sharp's. He looked over at Jim, to see how he was fairing with the wildcat of a teen.

Jim had his arms wrapped around the shaking youth, with the kid's back to his chest. He leaned down to the kid's ear and whispered, " Remember what I told you earlier about behaving or you'd end up with a sore backside? That threat is still in effect Chief, so you'd better calm down."

The whispered threat had its desired effect, or so Jim thought. The minute he loosened his hold, Blair bolted away from him and out of Simon's office. Jim growled, and said, "Simon, meet us in conference room four in ten minutes. " He took off after the ball of energy. Simon and Joel just looked at each other and Joel said, "Looks like Ellison has his hands full." Simon nodded, then turned back to the couple.

"That he does Joel. Listen I want you to keep an eye on these two. I will need to speak to them when we get back from the conference room." He told Joel, and then turned to go to the conference room.

Panic and fear drove Blair faster, though he wasn't sure where he was going at the moment. He looked around wildly trying to figure out where to go next, when his arms were suddenly grabbed from behind. Blair struggled in vain to get away. His body was pulled backwards and his back was settled gently against a warm wall. He looked up, through his mass of wild curls, into the steel blue eyes of one very pssed off detective.

"Uh…hi Jim. I'm sorry?" Blair said hoping that's what the detective wanted to hear. His hopes were crushed when Jim said, "You will be in a minute." and, then walked him quietly to the conference room.

He could feel the kid trembling in his grip, and was tempted to forget the punishment. He wanted to chalk the kid's attitude up to him being scared, but knew he couldn't. Jim had promised the kid a sore backside and he always kept his promises. Slamming the door to the conference room open, Jim was relieved to see that Simon wasn't there, yet.

Blair cringed when the door was slammed open. He was released and immediately went and sat down in a chair. He clutched his backpack to him when he was told not to move. He licked at his dry lips and knew he had to fix the problem, before it became worse.

"I…I'm sorry Jim. I didn't mean to…" Blair started trying to explain. Jim took a chair and sat it in front of Blair. He sat down facing the teen, and held a hand up to stop him from talking.

"Stop right there. You're gonna listen to me first. You'll get your say in a minute. Now, I know you're scared kiddo, and you have every right to be, but that doesn't give you the right to throw a temper tantrum like a four-year-old, Chief. Do you remember what I said would happen if you didn't behave yourself?" Jim asked.

Blair immediately nodded. "Yeah you said I'd end up with a sore backside. Look, I'm sorry I didn't mean…" Blair started only to be cut off again.

" Not yet, Chief. I've got a few more things to say. Yes, I promised you a sore backside and I always keep my promises. We have two options here, Chief. We can do this now, or we can wait till we go back to my place."

"Who said he was going back to your place Jim?" came a bellowing voice. The room's two occupants looked up at Simon standing in the doorway. Simon walked into the room and shut the door. He pulled another chair over to the two and sat down.

"Simon, I'm not going to let him go back with those people. They're lying through their teeth. I also don't want him to have to spend the rest of the night in the social services office. He'll be safe at my house, and I can make sure he doesn't decide to go on anymore late-night excursions tonight. " Jim explained, grinning a little at the end and ruffling Blair's already wild curls.

Simon grinned at the parental affection his best detective was giving to the miserable looking teen. Jim wasn't known around the bullpen to be anything but cold as iron. He noticed Jim and Blair were looking at him and returned to the normal glare he had to make himself look stern. " I don't intend for him to go back with those people either Jim, but we have to call social services. We can tell them that we have a temporary home for the night, but if they say "no" Jim, then we have to let them do what they think is best."

Blair remained quiet, even though his body didn't. His feet were tapping as if he were hearing a song no one else could. He listened to the two men talk and hoped that Jim would forget about the promised punishment. There was a small part of him though, that hoped Jim wouldn't. He shifted slightly in his seat trying not to call attention to himself.

The soft rustling of clothes and an even softer sigh graced Jim's sensitive hearing. He watched Blair try to be as discreet as possible and not draw attention to himself.

Simon noticed the young man trying not to fidget as well. He cleared his throat and said, "Well let's do what we came to do. Blair we need you to take your shirt off. We have to see how bad the bruises are son." His voice started off gruff, but softened it a bit when he started speaking to Blair.

Clutching his backpack to his chest, Blair closed his eyes and began to softly speak. He kept talking softly till Simon looked at Jim and asked, " What the heck is he saying?"

"I believe he's chanting, sir. I can hear what he's saying, I'm just not sure what he's saying." Jim replied. Blair quieted down a few moments later. He looked at Simon first, then at Jim and whispered, "Okay, I'm ready."

The three men stood up. Blair set his pack down on the chair he'd been sitting in and then stood there not sure what they wanted him to do next. Simon, who had a teenager at home, stepped in and said, " Just turn around and raise your shirt in the back, son. We won't take longer than we have to. "

Blair nodded and turned around. He unbuttoned his flannel shirt and took it off revealing a white t-shirt underneath. He laid his other shirt on top of his pack, and then began to raise the back of his t-shirt up.

Both older men in the room had to control the rage they were feeling inside as they saw the long dark bruises on Blair's back. Jim could smell the unshed tears welling up in Blair's eyes and went over to the distraught young man. He placed a hand on Blair's shoulder, and was angered further when Blair flinched at the touch.

"We're done, Chief. You can put your other shirt back on. Simon and I need to go into the hall for a few minutes. Will you be okay in here?" Jim asked, moving his hand to the boy's neck and lightly rubbing. Blair nodded and wordlessly picked up his other shirt.

Jim and Simon went out into the hall and closed the door. Jim erupted first. "What were those people thinking! What could the kid have done to make those people think he deserved to be beaten like that!"

"Jim! Calm down, I know you're angry about it, I am too. Blair is in that room though and you shouting at the top of your lungs is probably scaring him even more. Let's go in the next room and you can yell all you want. " Simon said in a tightly controlled voice.

Jim calmed somewhat and cocked his head towards the door. He could hear Blair softly chanting again. " Simon, I promised Blair we'd be right outside the door. I'll try not to yell, but those people have me so dmn mad. Why are they even foster parents? I'd make a better foster parent than they would. " Jim said lowering his voice to a normal tone, but with all the venom and hatred towards the Sharp's still in it.

"You did not promise him, but if you can keep from yelling, we'll stay here. How's he doing? " Simon asked, when he noticed Jim looking like he was listening to something.

"He's alright. He's doing that chanting thing again. I think it helps him to calm down. Well what are we going to do Captain?" Jim asked.

"_We_ aren't going to do anything. _I'm_ going to go back to my office and deal with our happy couple. _You're_ staying here and finishing any business you have to." Simon told him. Jim nodded at the words and knew what Simon was referring to.

Jim walked back into the conference room, after Simon left and found Blair sitting indian style on the floor with is eyes closed. He was taking deep breaths and chanting softly. "Chief? You okay?" Jim asked not sure if he should disturb the kid or not.

Blair's eyes fluttered open a few minutes later. "Huh, oh hi Jim. I was trying to center myself and…sorry. Naomi taught me that for when I get really upset and start to panic. I'm better now. What happens now?" Blair asked standing up.

"Well Simon has gone back to deal with the Sharp's. You and I have some unfinished business to deal with as well. I believe, before Simon interrupted us, I had just given you two options. Right?" Jim asked sitting back down.

Blair looked up with a deer caught in the headlights look and said, "Crap! I mean uh… right. Look I'm sorry about swinging my pack at you and kicking you. I was scared and needed to get out of there. I shouldn't have acted out like that though."

"I'm glad you realize that Chief, but you still have two options, now or later." Jim said as he monitored the young man's heart rate and breathing. He could hear Blair muttering the choices to himself.

"How about option three; never?" Blair asked in a teasing but hopeful tone.

Jim raised an eyebrow at him and said, " That wasn't on the list Chief. I'll give you one minute to decide, then I'll decide for you." Jim looked at his watch, then back at Blair.

A small sigh escaped from Blair's lips as he mulled over his choices. He looked at Jim, his decision made. "I want to get this over with now. I might not be able to go with you later, if Social Services says no." Blair said, hoping they'd say yes.

Jim smiled at Blair and said, "That took a lot of guts to say, Chief. I know you could've told me later and ended up getting put with another family, but the fact that you didn't says a lot to me. Okay Chief, come here." Jim motioned Blair over to his left side.

Blair smiled a little at the bit of praise he was given. He closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. When he opened his eyes, he sighed and made his way slowly over to Jim. He bounced slightly at Jim's side and was about to say something, when the sharp ring of Jim's cell phone broke the silence in the room.

"Ellison." Jim said, answering his phone.

"Jim, I need you two to come up here. Social Services is here. They need to talk to you and Blair." Simon told him.

"Alright Simon. We'll be right there." Jim said, then hung up the phone, looked at Blair and said, " Well Chief, looks like you're getting that reprieve. Someone from social services is here and wants to talk to us."

Relief and regret filled Blair's eyes as he nodded and went and picked up his pack. He walked over to the conference doors and stood there dejectedly. Jim moved the chairs back, and then went over to Blair. He put a hand on the boy's shoulder and opened the door with the other. " Come on Chief, let's go."

The two walked quietly back to Simon's office. Jim stopped before he opened the doors to the bullpen and turned to Blair. Jim had felt him trembling the whole way to there and wanted to comfort the boy a bit. "Hey Chief, it's gonna be okay. I'm sure they found a good foster family for you to stay with this time." Jim said, his voice cracking a bit with emotion.

"I do…don't want to go wi…with another foster fa…family, I…I want t…to stay with y…you." Blair sobbed, wrapping his arms around Jim's waist and laying his head against Jim's chest. Jim blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill from his light blue eyes, and ran his hand over the wild brown curls.

"I know Chief. I want that, too, but I'm not registered as a foster parent." Jim told the sobbing teen.

"You are now." A voice behind them said. The two looked up and saw Simon grinning at them. A woman stood next to Simon smiling as well. She turned to Simon and said, " You were right, these two are made for each other." She turned to Jim and Blair and said, "I'm Sarah Murdock, and I just need your signature on a few documents detective to make everything official, then you and your son can go home."

An hour later, Jim and Blair were on their way home. "Well Chief, both of us have had a long night, so why don't we get some sleep, when we get home, and when we get up, we can take care of what we have to." Jim said. When he didn't get an answer he glanced over at Blair and saw him huddled against the door asleep.

"I see you agree Chief." Jim said softly. He parked his truck in the alleyway next to the apartment building he lived in. He reached over and shook Blair gently. "Hey Chief, wake up we're home."

"Home?" Blair muttered sleepily. He tried to curl up against the door again, only to find it missing. He would've tumbled into Jim's arms if it hadn't been for the seatbelt he'd put on. "Whoa there sleeping beauty. Let's get this off first. " Jim took the belt off and helped Blair out of the truck.

When they got into the apartment, Jim set Blair on the couch and went to search for a pillow and blanket for his young charge. When he came back, Blair was curled up near the arm asleep. "Couldn't wait could you Chief?" Jim asked and chuckled softly. He lifted Blair's head and placed the pillow under it, and covered him with the large blanket he'd found.

He turned and headed up the stairs to his bedroom loft. When he got there though, he looked back down at the sleeping youth and decided to stay close by for the night. He grabbed the large pillow and a light blanket off his bed, and then went back downstairs and made himself comfortable in the chair right beside Blair.

A scream jolted Jim awake. He looked over at Blair and found the teen sitting straight up and looking around. Jim was immediately at his side. "Easy Chief. It's okay, you're safe." Jim said softly as he rubbed Blair's arm.

Blair looked at him and blinked a couple of times. " Jim? Where am I?" Blair asked.

"Yeah it's me Chief. Don't you remember anything about last night." Jim asked, a little concerned. Blair thought for a few minutes, then looked Jim and grinned. "Oh yeah, we're a family now." Blair said, then threw his arms around Jim's neck and hugged him.

Jim had to catch himself, before they both ended up on the floor. "Whoa there Chief. I don't think either one of us wants to end up on the floor at this moment. How's your back today?" He asked putting his arms around Blair gently.

"Better. It still hurts, but not as bad." Blair told him, breaking away from the hug first. He remembered everything about last night and wasn't sure if he wanted to bring it up or not. He began to gently bite his bottom lip trying to decide.

Jim picked up on the increased heartbeat immediately. He leaned back and looked at Blair. "Something wrong Chief? You seem upset about something. " Jim asked wondering what had caused the change in mood.

Blair worried his lip a bit more, before looking up at Jim. "I…uh…I remember something else about last night." Blair said, wondering why he was admitting this.

"What's that Chief ?" Jim asked, wondering what about last night would have Blair so worried and nervous. He watched Blair fidget a little.

"A promise that was made," Blair said softly. He took a breath and continued, " And still needs to be kept." He looked up at Jim, with tears in his eyes and one sliding down his pink tinged cheek.

The rest of Blair's fears washed away when he saw the love and pride meant for him, reflected in Jim's eyes. He didn't flinch when Jim's hand cupped the side of his face and tenderly wiped away the errant tear with his thumb.

"I'm proud of you, Chief. You could've kept quiet about it and hoped that I'd forget about it, but you didn't and that makes me real proud kiddo." Jim said, tucking a loose strand of Blair's hair behind the kid's ear.

Tears streamed down Blair's face and over Jim's hand. Jim was surprised at the fresh tears in Blair's eyes. He could hear the erratic heartbeat and feel the slight tremors running through Blair's body.

"Come on kiddo, let's get this over with, before you have a panic attack." Jim said, once he realized why Blair was getting upset again. He got up and then helped Blair up.

"Wh…Where do you want me?" Blair asked, barely looking at Jim. He wrapped his arms around himself and bounced slightly in place, trying to keep himself calm.

Jim watched Blair and monitored his vitals. He could see the beads of sweat forming on Blair's brow and hear his heartbeat rising. He could hear the kid trying to control his breathing and that's when he realized Blair was scared. " What's wrong Chief? What do you think's going to happen?" Jim asked.

"You're gonna beat me." Blair whispered softly. His whole body began to tremble at the thought. Jim stepped towards Blair and was hurt when he saw him flinch. He took Blair into his arms and tried to soothe the trembling teen.

"Oh…no. No Chief. Shh…shhh, calm down. I am _not_ going to beat you Blair. I will _never_ beat you and that's a promise." Jim said softly, stroking the curly brown hair. He felt Blair relax a little at the promise.

"What about your other promise?" Blair asked, his voice barely above a whisper and still tinged with fear, but loud enough for the sentinel's ears. Jim continued stroking the boy's hair as he asked, " What were my exact words of that promise Chief? I want you to repeat them."

Blair stayed quiet for a few minutes. He let Jim's soothing touch calm his almost panicked state. " You said that if I didn't behave, I was gonna end up with a sore backside." Blair said finally.

"I want you to think about that for a minute Chief. I want you to tell me exactly what you think that means." Jim said, moving his hand to the teen's neck and shoulders and began to lightly rub them.

The tender touch at the base of his neck eased the tension Blair had been feeling. He thought about the words he repeated and immediately gave Jim a look that was a mixture of confusion and disbelief. "You don't mean you're going to…" Blair started not wanting to continue.

Jim almost laughed at the look he was given. "Put you over my knee and spank you? That's exactly what I intend to do Chief. Come on, we've put this off long enough." Jim said releasing Blair and sitting down on the couch. Jim crooked a finger and beckoned Blair over to him.

A look of disbelief was still on Blair's face as he slowly walked over to Jim. Jim took one look at the teen and quickly put him over his lap. "Okay kiddo, the next few minutes aren't going to be pleasant for either one of us, but when it's over it'll all be forgiven and we won't bring it up anymore." Jim told his young charge. Blair's head shot up a bit, then turned to look at Jim through the curtain of curls. " Really?" Blair asked.

"Really." Jim stated. He wrapped his right arm around Blair's waist and raised his left arm.

The first swat made Blair gasp. He had thought his jeans would offer some protection, then realized how wrong he was as he felt the swats igniting a fire on his butt. He began to whimper and gasp as the swats became harder and faster.

Jim tightened his hold on Blair as the teen began to try to squirm more and try to get away. The gasps and whimpers were hard enough for him to listen to, knowing he was the reason for them, but when the sobbing and begging started, he had to turn his hearing down a touch and strengthen his resolve.

"Please…no more…I'll be good…Please Jim…stop." Blair pleaded as he threw his hand back to stop the swats from raining down. Jim grabbed his wrist and continued. He wanted to make sure his young charge would remember this the next time he thought about having a tantrum. Blair kicked his sock covered feet up next to cover his blazing backside.

"Blair, put your feet down." Jim told him. He could hear Blair choking back sobs and trying to calm down.

"Please Jim…stop." Blair whimpered keeping his feet where they were.

"I'm not going to tell you again Junior. Put your feet down or I'll finish this with your jeans down." Jim told him firmly.

Slowly, one foot retreated to the floor, a minute later the other one retreated. Yelps of pain filled the loft apartment as Jim began to pepper Blair's backside with renewed vigor. Blair couldn't do anything else but cry and gasp for air.

Jim could tell Blair wasn't going to be able take much more. He delivered two final swats and stopped. He released Blair's hand and began to rub the boy's back. "Shh…come on Chief. Take deep breaths. There you go." He said trying to calm the boy with is soothing tone.

Blair felt himself being lifted and turned. He could feel someone stroking his hair and brushing it away from his face. Soft, gentle words were being murmured in his ear. He began to concentrate on them, trying to hear what was being said.

"Shh…shh…it's okay now kiddo…we're done…shh…come on Chief…calm down…shh." Jim said softly, stroking Blair's hair and back. The sobs began to taper off until only an occasional sniffle or hiccup was heard.

"I'm sorry I acted like a brat." The words were soft and barely audible, but sensitive sentinel hearing heard each one. Jim tightened his hold on his young charge, hugging him close.

"Shh I know you are Chief. You're forgiven kiddo." Jim told him. Blair settled contentedly against Jim, then asked, " Jim, we're not going to do anything that involves sitting today are we?"

Jim's laughter echoed through the loft, followed by Blair's chuckles. "I think we can find a few things to do that don't involve sitting Chief. Let's start by making breakfast." The two got up from the couch. Jim headed over to the kitchen when something smacked the back of his head.

He turned and saw the mischievous twinkle in Blair's eyes, then looked down and saw one of the throw pillows at his feet. Looking back up at his young charge, Jim saw he had the second throw pillow in his hand.

"Don't think about it Chief, or I might have to retaliate." Jim said, raising an eyebrow, then bent down and picked up the pillow at his feet..

Blair's eyes went wide at the remark. He bit his bottom lip for a moment, then grinned when he realized Jim was teasing him back. He launched the other pillow at Jim's chest and nailed his target perfectly.

"Good now that I have both pillows, you don't get to use one to sit down on." Jim said, then turned around casually, headed to the kitchen, got plates, glasses and silverware out and put them on the table. Blair groaned and turned to look for another small pillow.

Suddenly he felt two thumps to his backside. He yelped and looked to see what hit him. When he saw the pillows, he looked at Jim and grinned.

"That was dirty Jim." Blair said as he grinned, rubbed his backside a bit with one hand and picked up one of the pillows with the other. He put the pillow on the couch, and then picked the other one up.

"You started it Junior. Now come help me with breakfast." Jim said and returned the grin.


	2. Chapter 2

**A Test of Love**

_**By Enelya**_

_**# 2 in the Sacred Ground Series**_

The door of the apartment opened and two figures, with arms full of groceries, entered. Jim used his foot to shut the door and used his pinkie to toss the keys into the small basket by the door.

"Let's get these put away Chief, and then we can talk." Jim said setting his bags down on the table. He looked up, when he heard Blair's heart rate increase and was concerned when he saw the panicked look on Blair's face. "Chief? What's wrong? Oh!" Jim asked, then immediately realized what was wrong. " We're gonna talk kiddo, about rules. That's all. You're not in trouble for anything."

Blair let out a sigh of relief and headed over to the table with his bags. He looked at Jim sheepishly and said, " I'm sorry. I can't help it." He ducked his head as a pink blush crept across his cheeks.

"Don't apologize Chief. It's not your fault. Let's get the cold stuff put away and then we can talk. Alright?" Jim asked, putting his hand on Blair's shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.

Blair nodded.

Blair curled up in the corner of the couch, wincing a little at the pain still in his backside, and Jim sat on the coffee table in front of him. "Okay Chief, I'm gonna lay down a few simple rules, we'll add more later if need be, but these should be enough for now. First, no drugs or alcohol." Jim said.

"I can live with that. I don't like that stuff anyways. If you don't like alcohol though, why'd you buy some?" Blair asked.

"I didn't say I didn't like it Junior, I said I don't want you drinking. You're too young, but that's good you don't like it. Okay rule two, no lying. I want to be able to trust you Chief and if you lie to me, you'll not only lose my trust, but it'll land you in worse trouble." Jim continued, wondering what kind of reaction he'd get this time.

Blair was quiet for a few minutes, and then asked, " Is that why you believed me last night, because you trusted me?"

Jim leaned forward and sighed when Blair flinched slightly. He cupped the side of Blair's face with one hand and said, " That's exactly why Chief. You also have to trust me, too. I know it's hard to believe Chief, but I'm not going to hit you every time I come near you. That's why we're talking about the rules, so you know exactly what will get you in trouble."

"Jim, I know in here," Blair said, then paused to pat his chest and continued, "that you won't hurt me, but it's gonna take a while before I realize it up here." Blair finished and tapped his right temple. He let his hand linger on Jim's hand that was cupping his face for just a moment then let it drop back down to his side. He moved his head away from Jim's gentle grip, and then grinned and said, " So, that's it? Two rules?"

Jim chuckled at the casual remark thrown in and said, " Yeah right Chief. I've got a few more. We'll work on the other thing though. Rule three: curfew. Now I know you're going to college, but you're also only sixteen. I want you in by ten-thirty during the week and by eleven on the weekends."

"Uhm that's not gonna work for me Jim. The library at the University stays open till one and I have dates that last longer than that. " Blair said grinning devilishly.

"Ten-thirty during the week and eleven on the weekends. If you need to go to the library, go on the weekends. You can spend all day there if you want. As for your dates Romeo, you're gonna have to go out earlier or cut your dates short." Jim said firmly.

Blair slumped against the couch with his arms crossed over his chest. He gave Jim one last pleading look, but when he saw it wasn't going to work, he sighed and nodded.

Jim was amused at the pout he was given. He patted Blair on the knee and said, "I might extend it for special occasions and circumstances. Rule four, when you're not in school or with me, I want to know where you are. If you're gonna leave the loft to go do something, I want you to write me a note, then call the station and leave a message with Rhonda, and finally call my cell phone and leave a message, if I don't answer. I want you to tell me where you're going, who you're going with, and what time you're gonna be back. If you have to repeat the information three times, I figure you'll remember to be back when you're supposed to and I'll get the message at least once."

"Hey, now come on Jim. You're not being fair. I'm sixteen and I think I can remember to write a note without having to make two phone calls. I also know when to come home." Blair said indignantly.

"I'm not saying you're a baby, Chief. What if, when you leave the loft, something happens to the note? A breeze of air could knock it off the table or counter and I wouldn't have a clue to where you were. Or, what if you're not able to write a message? Say an emergency happens, you can still make two calls when you get to where you're going so I get the message." Jim said trying to reason with Blair.

"Jim come on, don't you think you're still being a bit excessive. How about a note and one phone call? Or maybe just a phone call." Blair said trying some reasoning of his own. He hoped Jim would see it his way. His hopes were dashed, when he saw the determined look on Jim's face.

"Blair, look… no wait. Alright Chief, I'll give you a chance. If you're going to go out, you can leave just a note, or a phone call, but if I receive neither one, your butt is in big trouble and we go to the note and two phone calls before you leave. Understand Junior?" Jim asked.

A grateful look was given to Jim as Blair nodded and said, " Thanks Jim. I understand. If I screw up, we go with the long way." Blair grinned as Jim gave him a look, and then tapped the side of his head lightly.

"You also end up with a sore butt, Chief. Don't forget that." Jim told him, tapping the teen on the other side of his head. Blair ducked his head at the reminder and his cheeks blushed pink.

"I was kinda hoping you'd forget that part." Blair admitted as he looked up and smiled sheepishly. Jim couldn't help but smile at the admission. He leaned forward and drew Blair to him and hugged the teen.

"I bet you were Junior, come on kiddo we've got groceries to put away. Oh and one more thing, that room over there, will be yours. The only thing I ask is that your mess stays in there and doesn't extend to the rest of the loft. Alright Chief?" Jim asked, standing up, then helping Blair up and pointing towards the room.

When Blair saw the room, his eyes lit up. He looked at Jim and said, " Yeah that's no problem. You can't be messy when you don't have that much stuff to begin with." Blair winked, showing Jim he was teasing.

Jim smirked at the teen and said, " That'll change soon Chief. I've been cleaning that room out now for the past week. I should've had it done three days ago, but I keep getting distracted."

Blair grinned and said, "You keep putting it off, too. Right?"

"Yeah Chief, but now I've got help." Jim said and then ducked the playful swipe at his head. He grinned and swatted Blair's backside playfully.

"Ow, hey. I'm still sore there you know." Blair said, sticking his bottom lip out, and pretending to pout.

"Better stick that lip in Junior, before a bird flies in and sits on it." Jim said, and then grinned and tapped Blair on the lip.

Blair sucked his lip in, and then stuck his tongue out instead.

"No you're not. That happened the other day and I didn't spank you all that hard. How's your back doing? " Jim continued as he shook his head at Blair's antics and went over to the kitchen.

"Doesn't hurt anymore." Blair said his eyes speaking the gratitude that he couldn't seem to voice at the moment.

Jim nodded at the teen, with a smile and motioned him over to help.

Two hours later, Blair lay sprawled on the couch with his head in Jim's lap. He was exhausted from helping Jim move the rest of the boxes downstairs into the storage area. They were taking a break before going back in and putting together the full sized bed frame they had found towards the back of the room.

"You going to sleep there, Chief?" Jim asked, hearing Blair's breathing and heart rate slowing. He pushed a few of the damp curls away from Blair's face, and smiled when he saw Blair's eyes flutter a bit. Knowing he wasn't going to get an answer, or help putting the bed together, Jim slowly eased his legs from under Blair's head, took one of the throw pillows and laid Blair's head on it.

Jim sat at the kitchen table watching the sleeping form on the couch slowly begin to awaken. He took another drink of his beer, and then jumped up when Blair quickly bolted off the couch.

"Whoa Chief, what's wrong?" Jim asked, snagging the teen by his arms and staring into Blair's eyes.

Blair stared at Jim wide eyed for a few minutes, then blinked and relaxed.

"Jim? Oh man what happened? " He asked, trying to move his arms. When he realized that Jim was holding onto him, panic raced across Blair's face. He swallowed hard and asked, " Did…did I…do something wrong?" He looked down at the floor and sucked part of his bottom lip in. He chewed on it lightly and darted a remorseful look up at Jim.

Jim immediately released his hold on Blair's arms, and then pulled the boy into a tight hug. "No Chief, you didn't do anything. I think you were dreaming kiddo. " Jim said calmly running his hand over Blair's back.

Blair calmed at the reassurance and gently pushed away from Jim. He tucked a few stray strands of hair behind his ears, and then looked up embarrassed and asked, " You want me to help put the bed together?"

"Already done Junior, but you can have the fun job of cleaning the room." Jim said as he patted the teen's shoulder and grinned. He turned, walked back to the kitchen table, and finished off his beer.

"What do you mean clean the room? There's nothing in there but the bed." Blair said giving Jim a confused look.

Jim shook his head and walked over to the kitchen closet. He pulled out a broom and a dustpan, then walked over to Blair and handed the items to him. "This is what I meant Einstein, when I said clean. It's dusty in there and there are probably a few cobwebs, so if you don't want some eight-legged friends Chief, I suggest you get rid of those, too. When you're done sweeping, you can mop the room if you want." He told him.

He watched Blair and waited to see how the teen would react. Blair held the two objects for a few minutes and cocked his head a bit. It was as if he were deciding what to do and what would happen should he act certain ways.

Blair stared at the floor and chewed his bottom lip as he continued to decide what to do. He looked up at Jim once, to see what he was doing and saw that he was only watching at the moment. A thought made Blair shudder and he flicked his eyes up at Jim again a little fearfully this time. It was almost as if he expected Jim to read his mind.

He saw the fear in the dark blue eyes that looked up at him for just a moment and wondered what the boy was thinking. A soft sigh graced his ears and he watched as Blair turned and went into his room and began to sweep.

"Chief? Is everything okay?" Jim asked concerned.

"Yeah I'm fine." came the short answer. Jim could hear the short ragged breaths being taken as he watched the jerky movements of the broom being brushed over the floor. He could see the nervous, fearful glances being directed towards him. Jim went over, sat on the bare bed and said gently, "Chief, stop doing that and come here."

The moving figure froze and stood rigid. Small, shallow breaths filled the silence. Jim heard the whispered answer, but wasn't quite sure he heard correctly. "You want to repeat that a little louder Chief. I don't think I heard you right." Jim said, keeping his voice gentle.

Blair gulped audibly and turned to face Jim. He swallowed again, licked his lips and said in a shaky voice, " I…I said…n-n-no…Jim."

" That's what I thought you said, Chief. No what though? No you don't want to come over here or no you don't want to stop sweeping?" Jim asked calmly. He was trying to figure out where this act of defiance was coming from.

Blair licked his lips again and looked at Jim with confusion and fear. " Why aren't you mad at me?" He asked.

Jim raised an eyebrow at the question and asked, " Blair, why would I be angry with you?" He wondered what kind of answer he'd get.

"You told me to do something and I said "no". " Blair stated plainly, still confused. This was something new. This was not how he expected Jim to react. He had thought he would start yelling or jump up and smack him, but he didn't expect him to ask anything.

Jim nodded and said, " I know that Chief. Come here, please." He beaconed Blair over again with a wave of his hand. The plain statement had spoken volumes to Jim and he wanted to explain a few things to his young charge.

Panic filled Blair's eyes when Jim called him over again. He backed up, shaking his head. Blair darted his eyes towards the door and wondered if he'd be able to get there before Jim. His body was shaking as he sidestepped a bit to get closer to the open door.

Jim could hear Blair's rapid heart beat and mentally cursed himself again for scaring the kid. He could see him looking at the door and slowly moving towards it. "Blair, don't run. I'm not angry kiddo. You don't have to come over here if you don't want to. I can talk to you right where you're at if you want." Jim said calmly, hoping to calm the panicking teen.

Dark blue eyes darted between Jim and the open bedroom door. He looked at Jim again, wanting to believe him, but fear won out at the moment and Blair bolted from the room. He ran straight for the front door, unlocked it and took off down the hall.

The minute Blair ran from the room, Jim was right behind him. He raced after Blair down the hall and grabbed the teen, from behind, before he reached the stairs. Blair struggled against Jim trying to get away.

"Lemme go! Lemme go! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please…please." Blair cried, his voice breaking a bit. He was shaking more than fighting at this point.

"Shh…come on Chief, let's get you back inside." Jim said gently. He steered Blair back to the loft and released him once they were back inside. He watched as Blair sank down on the couch and curled protectively in one of the corners of it.

The phone rang at that moment, interrupting Jim's thoughts.

"Ellison. Oh hi Simon. Well we've hit a few rough spots this morning, but we're trying to work through them. Now? No I understand. It'll be fine. I'll see you in a few."

Blair glanced up during the conversation trying to decide what was being said.

Jim looked over at Blair and saw him look away and duck his head. Jim hung up the phone and walked over to where Blair sat on the couch. "Chief, I've got to go in to the station for a bit. When I come back, we'll talk, okay?" Jim asked reaching out to stroke Blair's head.

Blair flinched away from the touch. He looked up and saw the hurt look on Jim's face. He nodded at the question he'd been asked, then put his head back down on his knees.

Jim placed a hand on top of Blair's head, stroked his hair for a moment, and then turned and left.

Silence filled the loft for the next ten minutes. When Blair looked up, he had made a decision. He got up, stretched a little and went over to the phone. Blair looked around again to make sure he was really alone. He dialed a number and bounced in place.

"Come on, man. Please be there Bear, please." Blair pleaded with the phone.

" 'lo?" came the sleepy response from the phone.

"Bear? That you?" Blair asked excitedly.

"Doc? Hey buddy long time no hear. What's up?" came the response more awake now and cheerful.

"I need a place to stay for a while. Can I crash with you?" Blair asked biting his bottom lip again.

"Well, you know about my new situation, right?" Bear asked as he wondered what was going on with his friend.

"Yeah I know. Do you think he would mind?"

"I don't think he will. You need me to pick you up?"

"Yeah. Thanks Bear. I'll be ready when you get here. I'll be waiting outside." Blair said getting ready to hang up.

"Whoa Doc, hang on. I'll gladly come and get you, but you have to tell me where here is." Bear said, laughing a little at his friend.

Blair blushed even though no one could see him and said," Oh yeah. Sorry about that. It's 852 Prospect."

"I'll be there in a few Doc." Bear said, and then hung up.

Blair grabbed his pack, looked around the loft for the last time, and then left.

"You're sure Ben won't mind that I'm here?" Blair asked for the fourth time since they had arrived back at Bear's. He was looking around at the large house his friend lived in.

"Doc if you ask me that one more time, I'm going to take you back to your place. You wanna tell me what's going on now Doc? I thought you were living in the warehouse still. What happened?" Bear asked his friend.

Bear sat in an ornate straight back chair. His jet-black hair hung straight down, a little past his shoulders and parted in the middle. His dark brown eyes gazed intently on his friend as he waited to hear what had been happening. When he folded his hands and put them in his lap, he saw Blair grin at his actions.

Blair sighed and told his friend everything that had happened; from the day he left his pack up to right before he called Bear. His face flushed red as he told Bear of his punishment.

Bear chuckled softly when Blair turned red as he described what had happened earlier that morning to him. " I'll let you in on a little secret Doc. You're not the only one it happens to. Ben feels it is necessary to paddle me when I step over certain lines as well." Bear admitted with a small grin.

"Really? I thought you told me that he decided that you were too old. What made him change his mind?" Blair asked sitting up and staring at his friend.

"Well I went to a party one night, stayed out incredibly late, drank two beers, and then tried to drive home. Luckily or unluckily, however you want to see it, Ben found me while I was still trying to get the key in the ignition. Let's just say that that night and the next morning were most unpleasant." Bear said, wincing a little as he remembered what had happened after he got home.

"He paddled you good, huh?" Blair asked wincing at the thought.

" Not exactly, but we'll talk about that later, I wanna know what the problem is with Jim. From what you've told me, he sounds like a great guy." Bear said moving his hands to the arms of his chair.

" I don't know if I can trust him. I know that sounds stupid, but from what I went through with the Sharp's, it's hard to trust any adult." Blair explained.

" It's not stupid Doc. The Sharp's were terrible to you. I know it was only two weeks, but that stuff can really hurt you inside. I told you how Mom treated me. When Ben came along, I didn't think he could be as good as my Dad. I was wrong; Ben got me away from her because he didn't like how she treated me either. The physical stuff is just as bad, because you know they don't care." Bear said, leaving his chair and sitting next to Blair on the couch.

A loud ringing broke the silence of the loft. The caller on the other end was deeply concerned at this point. Jim hung up the phone with an exasperated sigh. He looked up and saw Simon standing at his desk.

"Trouble Jim?" Simon asked when he noticed the agitated state of his detective. He'd been watching Jim from his office for the past half hour and saw how agitated Jim became each time he hung up the phone.

"I don't know Simon. Blair hasn't answered the phone the past three times I've called. We hit a rough spot this morning and I wish I could've talk to him about it before I left. Now I don't know if he's refusing to answer because he's sulking, or because he's not there." Jim explained as he stood and stretched.

" Jim he's a teenager. Sulking is what they do best. Believe me I know. " Simon said smiling at the detective. "What happened this morning?"

"To tell the truth Simon, I don't know. Things were going good with the kid, and then he freaked out and bolted. I nabbed him in the hallway and brought him back to the loft. He was on the couch when I left. I've been trying to talk to him and put him at ease, but he's so scared. I don't know what to do to show him he can trust me." Jim said sighing.

"Give him time Jim. You may not believe it now, but he'll come around. He needs you to be consistent with him and shown that you care." Simon said pulling a cigar from his pocket. "Have you told him about you sentinel abilities?" he asked as an after thought.

"No, not yet. I didn't want to overwhelm him on his first day. Simon, I need to go and check on Blair. I'm not gonna be able to concentrate on the case if I don't." Jim told him wanting to leave and check on his charge.

Simon sighed and said, " Alright go, but I want you back here after you check on him." He turned and went back to his office mumbling.

Jim stood outside the apartment and listened for the one heartbeat that wasn't there. He went in and scanned for Blair's pack or a note. Finding neither, he went to the phone and called Simon.

"Banks!" Simon said in his usual gruff voice.

"Simon, it's Jim. Blair's gone. I have to go find him." Jim said, turning down his hearing a bit.

"Do you know where he went? Did he leave a note?" Simon asked.

"No he didn't and that's one of the things we're going to talk about when I find him. I have no clue where to start looking for him either. What do you suggest Simon?" Jim asked as he looked around the loft, hoping to find something that would lead him to Blair's whereabouts.

"What about the warehouse? Is there any possibility he could've gone back there? Did he mention any friends that maybe he'd go stay with?" Simon asked trying to think of any possible answer.

"Blair never mentioned any friends, but maybe he did go back to the warehouse. I'll go check it out, question a few neighbors and hopefully come up with something. Thanks Simon." Jim said

"Sure Jim, just try not to be too hard on the kid when you find him. He's scared and confused and trying to figure out if you really care about him." Simon told him.

"I know Simon, I know. Whether he's happy or not when I find him, he's still coming home and getting a sore backside. I won't tolerate him leaving without a note and running away from his problems. I'll keep you informed Simon, bye" Jim hung up the phone and it immediately rang.

Jim rolled his eyes, sighed and answered the phone, " Simon, I already told you…" He stopped when a familiar voice stopped him.

"Jim? Is that you? Oh Jim I'm sorry, please don't be mad at me." Blair said his voice trembling and laced with fear and regret.

"Hey Chief. Shh calm down okay? Just tell me where you are and I'll come and bring you home." Jim told him as he tried to keep his voice calm and reassuring. He wanted to demand an answer from the boy, but could tell by Blair's voice that if he did that, he would probably hang up.

"How mad are you?" Blair asked still obvious upset.

Jim sighed, closed his eyes, and counted softly to ten before answering. " I'm worried about you Chief, more than I am angry. It's gonna be okay. I promise. Now can you tell me where you are?" He could hear the almost silent sobs start again.

"Hello? Mr. Ellison?" A new voice questioned politely.

"Yeah, who's this?" Jim asked.

"I'm Doc's…sorry Blair's friend Bear…well that's my nickname. My real name is Dan. Blair's pretty upset, you need to know where we live right?" Bear asked.

"Yeah, I'd appreciate that kid. Uh huh okay I got it, thanks Dan." Jim said as he scribbled the address down on a piece of paper. He was surprised at how polite the kid was. Most kids wouldn't give up their friend's whereabouts so easily. Especially after what Blair had probably told him.

Blair curled up in the corner of the couch, when they arrived back at the loft. He clutched one of the throw pillows and began to pick at it as he darted nervous glances at Jim. He finally looked up and stared at Jim to figure out how mad he was.

Jim regarded the frightened youth on his couch. He saw the nervous glances being directed at him. They held his gaze for a moment then dropped.

He couldn't hold Jim's gaze anymore as he lowered his eyes, and then his head. Blair's mind was racing with every horrible thing he thought Jim was going to do to him. Jim hadn't looked angry, but Blair figured it was the calm before the storm.

The kid's heart was racing, as was his breathing, telling Jim that his young charge was working himself into a full-blown panic attack. He wondered why the kid wasn't starting his chanting like he had done last night.

"Chief," Jim barely had the word out of his mouth before Blair was in his arms sobbing. He closed his arms around Blair and began to rub his back, hair and shoulders. "Shh…it's gonna be okay Chief…it's gonna be okay." Jim murmured against the teen's curls.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean too." Blair sobbed. His body trembled against Jim's and he wrapped his arms tighter around Jim's waist.

"I know…shhh. We'll talk about it, but you've got to settle down first, Chief." Jim told him as he tried to calm the youth. He moved his hand slower over Blair's shoulders, trying to calm the tremors he felt. He moved them to Blair's room and sat down on the bed. He settled Blair on his lap and hugged the boy close to him.

Blair's arms circled Jim's neck as their owner struggled to get closer to his comforter than he already was. The tender caresses to his head and back resumed after a few minutes as did the soft words of comfort. The panic attack that had been ready to erupt was slowly dissolving as Blair began to take deeper breaths and began to calm with each one.

Jim felt Blair relaxing against him and heard his breathing and heart began to slow. The teen's sobs soon began to taper off and become an occasional sniffle. "How are you doin' Chief? You feelin' any better?" Jim asked running his hand over Blair's curls.

"Yeah a little. I'm in trouble, aren't I?" Blair asked his voice trembling again.

"Hey now, come on don't you start getting upset again. Yeah you're in trouble, but we're going to talk about this. I want you to understand why I'm upset with what you did and why you're in trouble. Okay?" Jim explained gently. He felt Blair tense against him for a moment, then relax and nod.

"Good, now why don't you start by explaining to me what was going on in that head of yours earlier when I gave you the broom and dustpan. I saw the looks you were giving me kiddo. What were you thinking about? Huh?" Jim asked pushing Blair's away from him a bit to look at the teen.

"Well when you gave me the broom and pan, I started to wonder what would happen if I threw them down and said "no". Blair said then gently bit his bottom lip and gazed up at Jim.

Jim quietly regarded the teen for a moment, and then asked, " What did you think would happen, Chief?" He wondered what kind of things Blair had imagined happening to him. He had seen the frightened looks and knew it was something that scared the kid.

"I thought that…that when I…I threw them down, that you'd…you'd" Blair stammered, his voice trembling.

"Shh, settle down there kiddo. What did you think I would do, hmm?" Jim asked gently as he rubbed Blair's arms.

"Beat me." Blair whispered as he lowered his eyes.

Jim pulled Blair against him and felt the tremors rushing through the teen. "Shh…shh…not gonna happen. Shh…I won't ever do that to you, Chief. Come on kiddo, settle down. Shh, there you go. Come on, shhh." Jim said reassuringly as he rubbed his hand gently over Blair's back and shoulders.

When Blair had finally calmed down again, Jim held him at arms length and looked into his eyes. "Now you listen to me Chief and you listen good. I am never ever going to beat you, nor will I hit you without you knowing the reason. If you do something wrong, we will always talk first so you know why you're being punished. That is a promise from me to you. " He told Blair.

Blair just stared at him for a few minutes, then dropped his gaze from Jim and began to process what Jim had just said. Except for a few curious glances he gave Jim, no other emotions played across Blair's face. He finally looked at Jim after a considerable amount of time had passed and said, " I believe you. I didn't believe you before, even though you promised. I guess that's because you just promised not to beat me. I still thought you would hit me and that eventually you'd forget your promise and end up beating me anyway. I can't help it when you try to touch me that I wince or try to shy away. A hand near my face usually meant pain, not kindness. I know that you'll keep this promise, because you've kept the other ones you've made."

Jim was quiet, when Blair finished. The words he wanted to say weren't sounding right to him. "Blair, I will always keep my promises to you no matter how big or small." Jim told him as he pulled Blair against him and hugged him tightly.

He reluctantly let go of Blair a few minutes later and said, "We have something else to discuss Chief." Jim said solemnly.

Confusion played across Blair's face as he tried to figure out what else they needed to talk about. He finally looked at Jim, still confused, and asked, " What else do we need to talk about Jim?"

" We need to talk about why you're in trouble, Junior" Jim said and let the words sink in.

"Oh. I didn't mean to run off. I know it's not an excuse, but I figured you'd be better off without me and I was still confused." Blair admitted. He lowered his head and sighed sadly.

"I know Chief, but you also left without leaving a note. I called here three times after I got to the station and I was really worried when you didn't pick up. I came back here to check on you and can you imagine what I was feeling when I didn't find a trace of you here?" Jim explained calmly as he lifted Blair's chin to look into the his eyes.

"Jim, I didn't leave a note because I was leaving and I didn't think you'd care. I figured you'd be glad to get rid of me, but I guess you were probably even more worried and scared. Right?" Blair answered, trying to avert his gaze.

"Yeah I was. Why would you think that? Huh? If I didn't want you I wouldn't have signed those papers last night. I wouldn't have worried myself half to death trying to figure out where you went and I sure as heck wouldn't have asked where you were when you did call. Chief if you thought I didn't care, then _why_ did you call?" Jim asked hoping the answer was what he thought it would be.

"I guess I was hoping that you _did _care and that you _were_ worried about me." Blair said, even though the words still sounded lame to him.

"So what you're saying is that you were testing me. You were testing to see if I loved you enough to look for you and find you. Well Chief did I pass?" Jim asked tapping Blair's cheek to make sure he had the teen's attention

Blair was quiet for a moment, his thoughts reeling. There was a question nagging him and he had to know the answer to it, even though a part of him already did. "Are you going to punish me?" Blair asked ignoring Jim's question for the moment.

"Yes Blair I am. Up you go." Jim said moving Blair from his lap. He helped Blair stand next to him on his left side. He heard Blair's heart beat immediately increase as he began to lay over Jim's lap. Sighing, Jim halted Blair's descent as he said, "Wait Chief."

Blair straightened up and looked at Jim with confusion. "You're not gonna spank me?" Blair asked hopefully.

"Sorry Chief, but that's still gonna happen. I'm just trying to decide on how to do it this time." Jim said and waited for the question he knew was coming.

"It's not going to be the same way as this morning?" Blair asked taking a step backwards.

His mind was reeling with questions now and he wasn't sure if he wanted Jim to answer them.

"No Blair it isn't. This morning was for you acting like a spoiled brat last night. This one is for you disappearing and not letting me know where you were. It deserves a bit more than just my hand on your jean covered rump." Jim told him as he watched for Blair's reaction.

Dark blue eyes widened at what Jim said. A large hand clamped down on his wrist, before he could back up again. Blair looked at his wrist, then at Jim with panic in his eyes. He began to struggle to try to get away.

"Shh…settle down Junior." Jim said even though he knew it wouldn't do any good. Blair still struggled against his grasp. Jim finally pulled Blair quickly to him and over his lap. He delivered five quick swats then set the teen back on his feet.

Blair stood motionless and speechless at Jim's side. He looked at Jim, bewildered about what had just happened.

Jim would have laughed at the look on Blair's face if the situation at hand wasn't serious. He knew he had to explain. " That was to get your attention and calm you down. You weren't listening to anything but your fear and I need you to listen to me." He explained hoping Blair understood.

"I know and I'm sorry, but I don't know what's gonna happen and it scares me." Blair admitted as tears began to form in his eyes.

"I know and that's why I had to get your attention." Jim said releasing Blair's wrist.

"What are you gonna do?" Blair asked wanting to get it over with already.

Jim thought for a moment, and then sighed as he came to a decision. He took a hold of Blair's wrist again.

"I'm not gonna run Jim. You don't have to hold my wrist." Blair said trying to pull free from Jim's grasp.

"Stop Blair. You might try to run when I tell you what to do next." Jim told him tightening his grip on Blair's wrist. He steeled himself at his next words. "Drop your jeans Blair." He said firmly.

"What! No way! You are not hitting me on my bare butt. Nuh uh you can forget that." Blair protested loudly.

"Would you prefer the alternative?" Jim asked. He had been expecting that type of reaction and was ready with another option.

"What's the alternative?" Blair asked, wondering if it was worse.

"You can keep your pants up, but I use a hair brush on your backside." Jim said, and wondered which one the kid would choose.

Blair pulled his hand away from Jim's grip and stood silently for a moment. He finally looked at Jim with unshed tears in his eyes and said, " I don't want the brush." He undid his jeans, let them drop to the floor, and stood there in his dark blue boxers with tears spilling down his cheeks.

Jim nodded at Blair's choice and said, " Let's get this over with." He took Blair's arm and led him over his lap.

Blair shivered as he felt his boxers leave his backside and join his pants around his ankles. He tensed when he felt Jim push his shirt back a bit.

"Shh…relax Blair. It'll be over with in a few minutes." Jim said calmly as he rubbed his hand over Blair's shoulders to ease the teen's tension.

"Easy for you to say." Blair mumbled softly. He couldn't help but relax at the gentle massage to his shoulders.. He let out a whimper when he felt Jim's hand leave his shoulders and plant itself firmly at the small of his back, then yelped loudly as Jim's other hand made a target out of his butt.

Jim had to bite back the laughter forming in his throat at Blair's quiet retort, and smiled instead. When he heard Blair whimper, he had to strengthen his resolve and landed the first of many swats to Blair's defenseless rump.

The only sounds that filled the loft for the next few minutes were Blair's yelps and skin hitting skin. When Blair's backside had been turned a rosy shade of pink, Jim raised his left leg and began to pepper Blair's undercurve and upper thighs with a volley of swats eliciting loud howls from the teen.

Blair's hand shot back to shield himself from this new assault. Jim grabbed it and pinned against Blair's back as he kept delivering swat after swat to Blair's backside, undercurve and thighs. Blair quickly kicked his feet up next taking his boxers with them and leaving his jeans on the floor. He used his feet to protect his abused rump.

"Jim…please…stop. Please. You'll always know…know where I am from…from now on, I promise, just please stop…stop." Blair pleaded trying to choke down sobs at the same time.

"Blair, put your feet down. We're almost done here, I promise. Come on Chief, put'em down." Jim said patting Blair's feet.

Gathering what courage he had left, Blair slowly put his feet down, and yelped as the swats immediately began again. They came faster and harder than before, driving Blair to finally lay limply over Jim's lap sobbing hard.

Jim could tell by the distressed sobs that Blair was at his breaking point. He landed one final swat to Blair's undercurve and stopped.

"Shh…shh…shh it's over with now. Shh…come on take deep breaths Chief. There ya go shh." Jim said rubbing his hand over Blair's shoulders. He pulled Blair's boxers up causing Blair to cry out as they touched his scorched butt.

"Shh, I know it hurts Chief. It'll be okay." Jim said helping Blair up.

Blair stood shakily, then leaned against Jim and sobbed on his shoulder. He felt Jim try to maneuver him onto his lap. Blair resisted and shook his head. "No Jim. Hurts." He said softly his voice breaking a bit.

"Shh okay Chief, no sittin' down. Let's lay you down on the bed though okay? You'll feel a little better." Jim told him getting up. He helped Blair lay down on his stomach on the bed. He sat next to Blair on the bed and began to stroke his hair and shoulders. His sentinel hearing listened to the sobs and hitches in breathing, till Blair finally calmed down, while he murmured comforting words to the teen and rubbed his back and shoulders.

"I'm sorry Jim. I guess this means two phone calls and a note now." Blair said softly looking towards the window.

"Shh…it's over with Junior. You're forgiven, so no more apologies okay?" Jim gently scolded.

"Kay Jim." Blair said lifting and turning his head to look at Jim and smiled a little.

"As for the note, I know why you didn't leave one, so I'll overlook it this time. Next time though, we will go to the leaving two phone calls and a note. Got it kiddo?" Jim asked giving Blair a gentle thump to the back of his head.

Gratefulness shone in Blair's eyes as he nodded and said, "Thanks Jim." He was quiet for a few minutes then propped himself on his arms, looked at Jim and asked, "Jim, will you always do this?"

"Do what Chief?" Jim asked puzzled as he continued to rub Blair's back and shoulders.

"This. What you're doing right now. Will you always do this afterwards?" Blair asked hoping he had made himself clear this time.

"You mean will I always comfort you after I blister your backside? Yes Chief I will, unless you want me to leave you alone." Jim told him.

"No, I don't want you to leave me alone. Why do you do it though? I thought you were mad at me." Blair asked.

" I was mad Chief, but I was also scared. I didn't know where you were or what had happened to you. You were punished though, and this, " Jim said pausing and stoking Blair's hair lightly before continuing, " is to let you know that I still love you and that you've been forgiven." Jim explained still stroking Blair's hair and shoulders. He brushed a few curls out of the teen's face and tucked them behind his ear.

Blair moved closer to Jim, grimacing as the heat in his backside made itself known again. He crossed his arms on Jim's leg, laid his head on top, and sighed contentedly. He then noticed the blanket on the bed, looked up at Jim and asked, " When did you make up the bed Jim?"

"I did it before I came to get you from your friend Dan's. We can go buy more things for your room tomorrow. Anything you want to get for it to make it yours. Alright?" Jim said and smiled at Blair, when he moved to lay on Jim's leg.

"Really Jim? Anything? Thanks." Blair asked surprised by the generous offer. A yawn suddenly escaped Blair's lips. "Hey Jim? Could I go to sleep for a while? I'm kind of tired." Blair asked sleepily.

"Yes anything and yes you can got to sleep. I'm going to make dinner while you're asleep and wake you when it's ready, so I'll need my leg back." Jim said as he eased himself out from under Blair's head, grabbed one of the pillow at the other end of the bed and slipped it under Blair's head. Blair fell into a light sleep as Jim did this and barely felt the tender kiss placed on his forehead.

Jim turned to leave the room and heard Blair mumble something softly. "What was that Chief?" Jim asked turning up his hearing a bit as Blair spoke softly again. He smiled as he left the room, Blair's words now filling his heart.

"You passed Jim."


	3. Chapter 3

Lit candles, of various sizes, were sitting on the coffee table, soft music was being played, and one lone figure sat on the floor in a lotus position, with the table in front of him and the couch behind him. His eyes were closed and he was taking slow deep breaths of the Hibiscus scented candles.

Jim opened the front door quietly. He walked in barely making a sound as he saw Blair going through his normal Thursday ritual. He began to go through the cabinets and fridge hoping to find something to make for dinner.

He remembered the first time he had come home to Blair's little ritual. Jim had been rather loud and hadn't known what was going on in his house. When he walked in, Blair's eyes flew open and he began to hurriedly blow out the candles. The whole time Blair apologized and kept telling him it wasn't witchcraft.

Jim found out later about an incident that had happened with the Sharp's that made him even more upset with them. It had taken him over an hour to calm the frightened teen and reassure him that everything was fine.

Blair began to stretch slowly as he got up from his position, and then began to blow out the candles. The smell of oranges and chicken tickled his nose and made his mouth water as he walked over and shut the music off. He turned and smiled as he saw Jim watching him.

" Hey Jim, you're home. What are you making? It smells good." Blair asked walking over. He saw a covered pot on the stove and was curious to see what was in it. He reached over to pick up the lid, when his hand was lightly smacked.

"Ah ah ah stay out of there nosey. You'll find out what's in there later. Why don't you set the table, okay Chief?" Jim said going back to the stuff he was frying in the pan.

" 'kay Jim," Blair told him. He went over to the cabinets and started pulling out plates and glasses. Humming softly as he set the plates and glasses down, Blair couldn't believe that it had only been three weeks that he'd been living with Jim.

Jim smiled when he heard Blair start to hum. He'd been trying to get Blair used to being touched, without the teen flinching and had been successful for the most part. They had set backs every so often and Blair would cower away or raise an arm to block what he thought would be a strike at his face, but Jim always managed to calm and reassure the teen.

"How was school today? " Jim asked as they ate, and immediately heard the increase of Blair's heart rate and breathing. He looked up and saw the nervous, scared look in Blair's eyes. "What's wrong Chief? Did something happen at school today?"

"Uhm, well no not exactly." Blair said, staring at his food and poking at it with his fork.

Jim raised an eyebrow as he monitored Blair's breathing and heartbeat. "Okay, then what exactly happened?" He asked, reaching across the table to raise Blair's head.

Watery dark blue eyes looked up and connected with concerned light blue eyes. "I didn't exactly go to school today." Blair whispered knowing Jim would hear him. He had been excited when Jim told him about his abilities and immediately began looking for books on the subject, especially one elusive one by Sir Richard Burton.

"I see. Okay Chief, since you didn't go to school, what _did_ you do all day?" Jim asked releasing Blair's chin and leaning back in his chair.

Blair licked his dry lips and stared down at his food for a moment, then looked up and said, " Well you know that book I've been looking for? The one by Sir Richard Burton?" Blair asked and waited for Jim to acknowledge that he did, before he continued. " Well I found a copy of it at a bookstore I called, but they would only hold it for me till noon, because there was someone else wanting to buy it, too and my class doesn't let out till one. I _had _to get the book Jim. Please understand I wasn't trying to disobey or anything." Blair said, his voice beginning to tremble.

"Shh, first of all Chief, you need to settle down. Secondly, I'm not going to punish you for skipping school. It's your choice on whether you go or not, but doesn't it affect your financial aid?" Jim asked as he got up went over to Blair and put a comforting hand on Blair's shoulder.

"No, but if my grades start to suffer and I don't keep them at least a "B" level, my financial aid will be taken away. I'm doing fine though in my classes, and I'm passing in every one so far." Blair said darting a nervous glance up at Jim.

"I never said you weren't Chief." Jim said a bit confused. He muttered a soft curse as he realized where the nervousness was coming from. "What happened with the Sharp's Chief?" He asked, drawing a chair over to where Blair was sitting, sat down, and put his arm around Blair's shoulders.

"They…they asked how I was doing one day after school, like you did. I had gone that day, but I left early to go to a protest I found out about. When I told them that, they…they got really upset and said that I was going to make them look bad if Social Services found out I was skipping classes. I tried to explain to them that this wasn't like high school, but they wouldn't listen. I tried to tell them that I was passing but they said they didn't think I was studying enough or doing enough homework. They sent me to my room, before I could eat and told me I had to study. Jim, I…I didn't have any…any…anything to study. I w-was caught up with m-my work. I w-was so hungry and I couldn't con…concentrate on do…doing anything. It… it was the same day as the…the candle thing I told you about. Th-they got angry and…and oh Jim." Blair said his nerve leaving him at the end. As his voice broke, he turned and sobbed against Jim's chest.

"Shhh, it's okay. It's okay Chief. Shh shh they can't hurt you anymore Chief." Jim murmured as he held his sobbing child. He could feel the tremors coursing through Blair's body, and began to rub the teen's back and shoulders.

Sobs began to finally subside and became an occasional sniffle. Hitched breathing was heard in between the sniffles. "You…you aren't…mad at me?" Blair asked tears still streaking down his face.

"No. Look Chief, you said it yourself college is different than high school. That doesn't mean I want you cuttin' classes or not doing your best. Understand Junior?" Jim asked gently as he stroked the soft, brown, curls of the trembling teen.

Blair nodded against Jim's chest, and then sniffed loudly. He began to pull away from Jim to look at him. "Jim, you really aren't angry with me?" Blair asked searching Jim's eyes for confirmation.

Using his thumb to wipe the last of the tears from Blair's eyes, Jim smiled and said, "No Chief, I'm not angry, not at you. I am angry at the Sharp's and what they did to you. No one should get treated the way they treated you. Chief, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but what happened after they found out you weren't doing anything in your room?"

Blair immediately ducked his head and sought comfort against Jim's chest for a few minutes. He felt Jim's hand stroke his hair and heard him murmuring softly. He tried to calm his breathing but every time he'd get it a little slower, he'd start thinking about what had happened again and would start breathing quickly again.

"Shh, forget about it Chief. I don't need to know right now. Shh…shh… shh it's okay. Deep breaths Chief, deep breaths." Jim said softly rubbing his hand over Blair's trembling back and shoulders.

Deep breaths were taken but they were shaky as Blair tried to keep the sobs from coming out. His body trembled, but was beginning to relax under Jim's gentle caresses. He stayed quiet trying to get up the nerve to tell Jim what had happened to him.

"Blair? You okay Chief?" Jim asked moving his hand to Blair's head and stroked the teen's curls.

"A little. Jim, he beat me. It was horrible, and I was in so much pain, both inside and out. I knew he really didn't care about me then, just about the money they would get for fostering me. It wasn't like it is now, it was…I mean there was… " Blair said softly, not trusting his voice to be any louder. He raised his head from its spot on Jim's chest to look at Jim with confusion hoping Jim understood.

"You mean there was no love in it. Just confusion, right?" Jim asked wiping the tears from Blair's face again as the boy nodded. "You don't have to worry about that anymore, Chief. You know that right?" Jim asked, wondering if Blair was thinking _he_ would do that.

"I know you could never be like that Jim. You've proved that to me already. It's just that those old feelings come back sometimes and it brings back painful memories." Blair said as the tears filled his eyes again and spilled over his cheeks. He laid against Jim again, this time his heart eased by the comfort and understanding.

"I'm glad you know that Chief. Do you still feel like eating?" Jim asked knowing he wasn't very hungry anymore. He felt the curly head against his chest shake in the negative. "Okay then, let's get this stuff put away and have it tomorrow night. You clear off the table and I'll get the leftovers put away okay Chief?" Jim asked.

Blair nodded but made no attempt to move away from Jim. He snuggled closer, his breathing becoming deeper and his eyes becoming heavy with sleep.

"Oh no you don't. Up you go Chief. The last time you fell asleep on me, I ended up putting _your _bed together by myself." Jim said when he sensed Blair falling asleep. He stood up, bringing Blair with him.

Blair grumbled about having been disturbed from his comfortable spot. He mumbled softly as he moved slowly about the table clearing it, placing the contents of the plates in the sink and putting the plates themselves in the trashcan.

"Going to bed." Blair mumbled as he headed to his room.

Jim shook his head and chuckled at Blair as the teen stumbled into his room and softly shut the door. He fished the plates out of the trash and put them in the sink.

Poor kid drained himself with all those emotions. If I ever get my hands on those people, they'll wish they never became foster parents.

Once the kitchen was clean, Jim went to check on Blair. He opened one of the curtained, glass, french doors to Blair's room and peered in. He smiled at Blair stretched across the bed and kicking one of his feet a little like a dog, a large dog, something more like a wolf.

Yeah, a large teenage wolf that needs to know that he's loved and that he won't be abused anymore. Don't worry pup, I'll keep you safe. Jim thought to himself as he rearranged Blair's blanket to cover the teen and smoothed a few curls away from Blair's face.

Jim's eyes flew open as he heard the rapid beating of Blair's heart, then a moment later a scream pierced the silence of the loft. Jim grabbed his robe and put it on as he raced down the stairs to Blair's room. He flung one of the doors open and saw Blair sitting straight up in bed, eyes wide with panic, soaked in sweat and shaking. Jim went to Blair's side. "Shh take it easy Chief I'm here now. I'm here." He said, sitting next to Blair and pulling the teen into his arms.

Blair clutched at Jim and twisted his fingers against the front of Jim's robe. Silent tears ran down his face as he buried his head against Jim's neck. He could feel Jim begin to rub his back and shoulders and tried to relax. He tried to stop shaking but the nightmare kept coming back to him in full force.

"Hey come on Chief. Relax, kiddo, relax. It must've been some nightmare huh?" Jim asked, beginning to rock a little as he pushed the damp curls off of Blair's forehead. He felt Blair nod, but no words were said. " You want to talk about it?" He felt a frantic shaking against his neck, wrapped his arms tightly around Blair and said softly into the boy's ear, " Okay, okay Chief. Shhh, we won't talk about it right now. It's okay, it's okay settle down."

His breathing began to slow a few minutes later and he loosened his hold on Jim's robe, just a little. "Jim? Will… y-you stay here with me for the rest of the night? I don't think I'll be able to sleep, anymore tonight." Blair asked in a whisper as he felt his cheeks heat up. He couldn't even look at Jim as he made his request.

"Sure Chief, but why don't we go upstairs to my room. My bed's bigger and I think we'll be more comfortable in it." Jim said, making an attempt to get up and get Blair up as well.

Blair balked and pulled away. "That's okay Jim. I'll be fine down here without you. I'll just read my book some, or do some homework." Blair told him, sitting down on his bed. He got up a minute later, went over to his dresser and pulled a dry t-shirt out.

"Whoa, hold on there Chief. What's wrong?" Jim asked confused by Blair's sudden attitude change. He watched Blair change shirts and sit on the far side of the bed.

"I feel stupid. I shouldn't need someone to stay with me; I'm acting like a little kid. You go on back to bed Jim, I'll be okay." Blair said, making dismissive gestures with his hand as he kept his head down and his curls hid his face.

Jim shook his head, walked over to Blair and sat down next to him. He put his arm around Blair's shoulders and rubbed Blair's arm as he spoke. "Hey…hey, look at me. You are not acting like a little kid, nor should you feel stupid. You've just woken up from a nightmare and an obviously terrifying one. Anyone would want someone to be with him or her afterwards. I know I would."

Blair looked at him stunned and asked in a voice that conveyed his surprise, "Really? You would want someone with you?"

"Really Chief. Now are you really fine or …" Jim started and was immediately cut off.

"I'm still shaken by it and I don't want to be by myself. Stay with me, please?" Blair whispered, burying his head against Jim's neck.

"I already said I would Chief. Come on, since it doesn't look like either one of us is going back to bed anytime soon, let's go watch a movie in the other room." Jim said standing and bringing Blair with him.

Blair groaned as he stretched out. He sat up and began rubbing the back of his neck as he opened his eyes. When he saw the television in front of him, his eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed a bit. A large hand touched the back of Blair's neck causing Blair to flinch and scream.

"Shhh, take it easy Chief. It's just me." Jim said loosening his grip on Blair's neck. The moment he did though, Blair bolted off the couch and turned to face Jim. There was panic and fear in the dark blue eyes. Jim rounded the couch and approached Blair slowly as if he were approaching an injured wild animal. "Take it easy Chief, it's only me." Jim said again, trying to reach through Blair's still sleep clouded mind.

Blair blinked for a moment, and sighed. "Geez Jim, you scared me. Sorry I freaked, I'm just not used to waking up in here. What _am_ I doing in here anyway?" Blair asked walking over to Jim.

"You fell asleep watching movies earlier this morning with me. I got up not to long ago. I have to go in to the station today, so you'll be here by yourself. Remember to leave a note if you go out." Jim told him.

"Jiiim, come on you don't have to tell me that every time. I think I've shown you I can remember to write a note before I leave." Blair said, a slight whine creeping into his voice as he rolled his eyes. He quickly sidestepped as Jim tried to swat him.

"Don't whine Chief, but alright I won't remind you anymore." Jim said grabbing his keys out of the dish by the door. He opened the door, turned to leave, turned back, but when he tried to talk, Blair stopped him and said, " Yeah, I know Jim, lock the door."

A knock on the door had Blair peeking out the peephole and grinning when he saw familiar brown eyes staring back at him. He opened the door and said, "You still crack me up wearing that stuff."

Dan wore clothes that any normal teenager would cringe at. He wore a charcoal grey waistcoat with dark grey trim, a black vest, a crisp white shirt, and charcoal grey pants. He had ankle high black boots on. His jet-black hair hung a little long on the sides and in the back to his shoulders. He wore a pair of small, gold, wire framed glasses, that circled his dark brown eyes, and caused the freckles that dotted the bridge of his nose and cheeks to stand out more. Dan gave an ungentlemanly snort at Blair's comment and said, "You've seen me dressed like this before, so why do I still amuse you?"

Blair laughed again. "Come on Bear, this is me. Jim isn't here so quit talking like that." Blair said once he finally got his laughing under control. He waved his friend in and gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder when he passed.

"Oww! Hey what was that for?" Dan yelped rubbing his arm.

"To get you to quit acting all uppity. I told you to quit with all the proper talk. No one's here, though I don't know why you act like that when others are around. Well what are we gonna do?" Blair explained to and then asked his friend.

"Well we could go see a movie. I believe there is a new vampire movie out." Dan said as he sat in Jim's chair.

"A vampire movie? Come on Bear, you're not serious are you? Aww man you are. Do we have to go see a vampire movie? Can't we go see something else?" Blair asked knowing full well he was whining at this point.

"Must you whine? It's incredibly annoying." Dan told his friend. He winced as Blair groaned again. He pushed himself out of the chair and went looking for the newspaper. He scanned it quietly then said, "It's playing at one-thirty. We can make it if we leave now."

"Alright, let's go. Wait I have to leave Jim a note. He'll kick my butt and come searching for me if I don't." Blair said as he grabbed the notepad from the kitchen counter. He opened the drawer right below the pad and began rummaging for a pen or pencil. He started grumbling in frustration when pen after pen had ran out of ink, wasn't writing, or had exploded. Blair was thankful Jim had decided to put the pens in plastic bags.

Dan sat back down as he watched Blair leave the kitchen and go to his room in search of a workable pen. He chuckled as he heard Blair mumble and swear as he dug through his room.

He finally came out of his room triumphant. "Finally. I need to tell Jim he needs to get new pens. Okay let's go." Blair said as he scribbled the note and used a magnet to stick it to the fridge.

"Hey Doc, you'd better be careful what you say. I don't think Jim would be very pleased with you if he had heard the words that I heard coming out of your mouth." Dan said nudging Blair in the arm.

"Shut up Bear. I'm not that stupid to say those words around Jim. He would toast my butt for it." Blair said as he grabbed his jacket and headed out the door with Dan trailing behind.

Dan shook his head at his friend. Most likely he'd soap your mouth first. Kid doesn't know what he's in for yet. He thought to himself as he shook his head and smiled.

Blair blinked as they stepped out into the bright sunlight from the dark movie theatre. He looked over at Dan and noticed that he had a pair of shades on. "Hey, where'd you get those from?" Blair asked uneasily, knowing he hadn't seen Dan with them when they went in.

"Relax Doc. I always carry a pair of sunglasses with me in my pocket. I hate the sunlight when you come out of a dark theatre. That was an excellent movie. Did you like it Doc?" Dan explained then asked as he turned to Blair.

Blair made a face at Dan and said, "I really could've done without it Bear. I don't see why you like those movies. All that blood makes me squeamish." Blair shuddered at the thought to prove his point.

Dan rolled his eyes, then asked, "Hey Doc, how long did you say we were going to be gone in that note you wrote?" He knew of a place they could hang out for a while if Blair had been vague about the time.

"Uhm I think I said we were going to the movies and then probably going to your place for a few hours. I can't really remember." Blair told him, then gave Dan a suspicious look and asked, " Why? What are you wanting to do?"

"Relax Doc, it's a nice little coffee house. Coffee, milk and bottled water are the only drinks sold there and everyone is very polite. It's a good place and Jim shouldn't have a problem with it." Dan explained when he saw the suspicious look on Blair's face.

Blair groaned at the thought of a boring coffee house. They might as well just go home. He looked at his watch and said," I dunno Bear. I wrote Jim that we'd be at your house after the movies. If he gets off early and doesn't find me there…I think we should just go home."

"Don't be such a wet blanket Doc. If, and that's a big if Doc, Jim gets off work early and comes to my house looking for you, Ben will simply tell him where we are. Ben knows I go there every Friday. Now come on." Dan said, getting slightly annoyed.

Looking at his watch again, and then back at his friend, Blair swallowed hard. He wanted to go with Dan, but he wanted to be where Jim expected him to be too, home. Sighing reluctantly, Blair got into Dan's car and said, "Alright let's go. "

"You won't regret it Doc. I promise." Dan said, as he smiled and got into the driver's seat.

I might not regret it now, but my butt will later Blair thought. He slumped down further in his seat and sighed softly. He knew Jim would probably come looking for him and humiliate him by dragging him out of the coffee shop or worse, swat him in front of everyone.

Dan looked over at Blair for a second when he heard him sigh, and shook his head as he watched the road again. He chuckled softly to himself as he thought of referring to Blair as a kid, even though he was the same age as Blair.

They had been at the coffee house for about two hours and Blair was enjoying himself, much to Dan's delight. Blair was glad to learn they sold tea as well and was on his sixth cup. He had forgotten about the time and was enjoying himself.

Dan smiled as he watched Blair drink another cup of tea. He glanced lazily at the clock and his eyes widened. Ooops didn't realize how late it was. I'd better get Doc home and try to smooth things over with Mr. Ellison. "Doc! Come on kid time to go. Good evening gents I have to be getting my young friend home. I shall see you all next Friday." Dan said as he gave a nod at the young men he'd been talking to.

Kid? Did Bear just call me kid? Oh crap look at the time. I'm toast for sure now. Correction, my _butt_ is toast. Blair thought as he glanced at the clock as they were leaving. He followed Dan out to the car quietly, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fill his eyes and spill down his cheeks.

Dan noticed that his normally talkative friend and become unusually quiet. He happened to glance over at Blair, when they had stopped at a traffic light and asked, " Hey Doc , what's wrong?"

Blair shook his head and pressed his forehead against the cool glass of the window. He could feel the tears starting and tried to keep them from slipping down, but failed. A sob crept into his throat and Blair choked it quickly down. The thought of actually sobbing in front of his friend was the only thing that kept Blair quiet.

They pulled up to the apartment and Blair quickly got out. He sighed as he stopped and stared up towards the loft. A hand on his shoulder stopped him from walking inside. Blair turned and looked into the warm brown eyes of his friend.

"Blair, don't be discouraged. I think you're making a big deal out of all this. I've met Jim and I really don't think he's going to be all that upset. Come on, I'll go up with you and explain." Dan said using his friend's name to calm him more.

The use of his named shocked Blair more than anything. He looked at Dan, forgetting about being upset and asked, "Hey, you didn't call me Doc. Why not?"

Dan smiled and just shook his head. He slung an arm around Blair's neck and they went inside. As they got closer to the loft, Dan could tell his friend was becoming tenser and felt the small tremors in his shoulders. "Hey come on Doc, don't do this to yourself. Jim isn't like the Sharp's. He's not going to lay into you the minute you walk in."

"I know he won't, I'm not scared of that. I just don't want to disappoint him. That hurts more than anything." Blair said softly. He couldn't bare the thought of looking at Jim and seeing the disappointment in his eyes.

"He won't be Doc, trust me. " Dan said trying to calm his friend. "You haven't done anything for him to be disappointed about. You're home a little late, he'll understand Doc." Dan continued as he knocked on the door.

When no one answered the door, Blair got his key out and opened the door cautiously. He stood there shocked when there didn't seem to be anyone home. Blair stepped in with Dan close behind him. "Jim?" He called looking around the loft.

"See Doc, he isn't home. You had yourself worried over nothing." Dan said, punching Blair lightly on the arm. He grinned when Blair retaliated and they began to lightly wrestle in the front room.

They were so involved in their play that they didn't hear the front door open or see Jim walk in. He leaned against the door and quietly watched the two teens as they wrestled like two pups over a bone. Finally Jim cleared his throat and said, "Alright you two quit horsin' around, before you break something."

Jim grinned when he saw the boys stop and stare at him. His smile slipped when he saw the look of panic on Blair's face. He walked over to the two and slowly placed his hands on Blair's shoulders. He was glad to see that Blair didn't shy away. "Easy kiddo, I'm not angry. I just don't want anything to get broke, ok Chief?" Jim told him brushing away a few damp curls from Blair's face.

Blair nodded, then broke into a grin. "Yeah sure Jim. What are you making for dinner?" He asked trying to avoid the playful swat Jim aimed at him, but wasn't successful. Blair's face flushed red as he realized that Dan was still there. He ducked away and went to retrieve his pack from near the door.

"Hey Doc, I have to go. Ben's probably waiting on me. I'll see you later." Dan said as he nodded his head and headed for the front door. He looked over his shoulder when his arm was grabbed.

"Why don't you call Ben and stay for supper Dan." Jim said smiling as he released Dan's arm.

"Thanks Mr. Ellison, but I really have to go. Next time maybe." Dan said, then grinned and left.

Jim turned to look at Blair and frowned when he didn't see him. "Blair?" He called.

"In my room Jim." Blair answered.

Jim opened the door and found Blair sitting at his desk writing. He walked over and asked, " What are you writing Chief?"

The book, that Blair was using to write his paper on top of, was quickly slammed shut. Innocent, blue, eyes behind gold-rimmed glasses looked up at Jim. He smiled a little and said, " Just doing a little research is all Jim."

"What kind of research Chief?" Jim asked trying to open the book.

Blair kept his arm over the book and smirked at Jim. "It's just some research I'm working on right now Jim. I'll show you later, just not now." Blair paused for a moment, and then looked at Jim uncertainly and asked, "Okay?"

He could see a small bead of sweat forming just a Blair's temple, and heard the teen's heartbeat speed up. He saw Blair tense up and saw that he was ready to spring from the chair and retreat to the far side of the room. "Sure Chief, no problem. You feel like take out food tonight?" Jim said as he stopped trying to open the book and laid a hand gently on Blair's shoulder.

"Yeah that would be great Jim." Blair said and smiled. He relaxed at Jim's touch and mentally berated himself for not trusting Jim. He raised an eyebrow and asked, " What are you ordering?"

"I was thinking of ordering pizza tonight." Jim said as he gave Blair's shoulder an affectionate squeeze and then turned to leave the room. He glanced back at Blair and asked, "That sound good to you Chief?"

"Yeah Jim, I'll be out when it gets here?" Blair asked instead of just doing. The thought of Jim still asking about how his day went was still bothering him. He hoped that he could give half-truths and stay out of trouble.

"Sure Chief. You can come in the other room though if you want and watch the game with me," Jim offered and hoped Blair would agree.

"Alright, just let me finish this first," Blair told him and turned back to the closed book.

Jim noticed that the book remained closed, though. He left the room and when he shut the door he heard the soft sound of the book being opened. He shook his head and wondered what Blair was working on.

A few moments later Blair came out of his room and curled into the corner of the couch. He didn't notice the look Jim gave him, but he did hear the soft sigh. He looked over and saw him watching the game. He began to think about early that morning when Jim had comforted him after the nightmare he'd had, and how he'd snuggled against Jim during the movie. Blair looked over at Jim again, and gradually sidled his way over till he was against Jim's side. He laid his head against Jim's shoulder and sighed contentedly.

"How was you day with Dan? What did you two do?" Jim asked as he slipped his arm out from under Blair, wrapped it around Blair's shoulders and pulled the teen closer. He felt Blair stiffen at the question for just a moment and then relax.

"Oh it was okay. We went and saw a vampire movie. I didn't really care for it, but Bear loves them." Blair told him squirming to get closer. He thought about telling Jim about the coffee house, but decided against it.

"If you don't like those kind of movies Chief, then why do you go and see them?" Jim asked as he ran his hand over Blair's curls and chuckled softly.

"I don't know, I guess because Bear likes them." Blair said, then looked up at Jim and grinned a little.

"Hey Doc. So how'd it go last night? You don't look like you're in any pain so I guess Jim didn't mind. Did he?" Dan asked as Blair sank down on the couch in Dan and Ben's living room.

"Didn't tell him. We talked about us going to see the movie and then we started talking about other things. It never came up what you and me did afterwards. I didn't see any point in telling him, since he didn't ask." Blair said stretching out on the couch.

"I'd be careful if I were you Doc, or this might come back and bite you in the butt, literally. He might not get mad about us going, but he might get mad about you trying to hide it." Dan said

"I'm not trying to hide it. He didn't ask so I didn't see the need to tell him." Blair reasoned. He couldn't understand why his friend was being so obstinate about him telling Jim about the coffee house.

Dan sighed at his friend's stubborn streak and thought to himself Doc doesn't know what he's getting himself in to. He looked up at Blair after a minute or so and said, "Okay Doc, I'll leave it alone. Just remember what I said about it coming back."

Blair grinned and said, " Ok Bear I'll remember. Hey do you always go to the coffee house on Fridays? Or do you go other days, too?" Blair asked.

"I do go twice a week, but it's very rare that I do. I'm usually doing schoolwork the other nights, or spending time with Ben. Why Doc? Would you like to go there again?" Dan asked adjusting his glasses.

" Yeah, but I can wait till Friday again. Unless you're going to go again before then." Blair said in excitement as he bolted upright on the couch.

Laughter filled the room, as Dan watched his excitable friend. He was amazed at how one moment Blair could be quietly talking with him one moment, and completely animated the next moment.

"Sorry Doc. I'm not going again till Friday. That gives you plenty of time to ask Jim about going with me." Dan said.

"What do you mean ask him? He won't mind. I'll just tell him I'm going somewhere with you." Blair said giving a shrug and leaning back against the couch.

Dan shook his head, but didn't say anything. This was one lesson his friend was gonna have to learn the hard way.

"Hey Jim. Is it okay if I go out with Bear Friday?" Blair asked a couple of days later as they were cleaning up from dinner. He leaned against the island and gave Jim a pleading look.

Jim gave Blair a long look as he tossed the towel on the other counter and leaned against the island next to Blair and asked, " Where are you gonna go Chief?" He asked and immediately noticed the increased heart rate.

"I'm not sure Jim. We haven't really decided yet. We might go see a movie or something. I'm not sure really." Blair said giving a small shrug and hoped Jim bought it.

Jim narrowed his eyes as he heard the words but didn't quite believe them. Something wasn't right, but he couldn't put his finger on it at the moment. He scanned Blair's vitals and didn't find signs of lying. Finally he smiled at Blair and said, " Sure Junior. I don't mind. What time are you leaving and when do you think you'll be home?" Jim asked.

"Uhm I think we're gonna leave about six and I guess we'll be home around two or three." Blair answered calmly with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, as he waited for Jim's comment on the time.

A smirk crossed the older man's face as he rested a hand on Blair's jean-clad backside, and said, "Three you say? Hmm, let's see that's four hours past your normal curfew and I figure that's about five swats for each hour you're late. Alright Chief, I don't mind you staying out four hours past curfew if you don't mind twenty swats when you get home."

Blair squirmed the minute Jim's hand touched his backside. He became more nervous at Jim's words. When he looked up and saw the teasing look in Jim's eyes, he breathed a sigh of relief and then said, "I was teasing Jim and you know it. We'll probably be home around eight or nine."

"That's fine Junior," Jim said as he landed a few harmless swats to Blair's backside, then stood and stretched. He listened as Blair breathed a sigh of relief and watched him rest his head against his arms. " You wanna watch the game with me Chief?" He asked as he headed towards the couch.

"Not tonight Jim. I have some assignments to do." Blair said as he got up from the island and headed to his room. He could feel Jim watching him and turned to look at him. He gave a small smile at Jim, and then quickly retreated into his room.

He pulled the books and notes he needed out of his pack, and sat down at his desk. While he worked, his conscience began to poke at him . After a few more minutes of trying to pretend to work, Blair closed his book with a sigh. Why am I trying to hide this from Jim? Bear said he wouldn't mind or be angry about it. I guess it's because I didn't tell him about it the first night we went. If I tell him now though, he's going to be even angrier and he probably won't let me go. I'll wait till Bear and I get home Friday and then I'll tell Jim about it.

Blair tried to make himself feel better with his thoughts and rationalizations, but it wasn't working. He opened his book back up and tried to continue with his assignment.

Jim had looked towards Blair's doors when he heard the teen becoming quietly distressed, but remained on the couch in hopes that Blair would come and talk to him. When Blair hadn't appeared after a few minutes, Jim reached his senses out towards his young guide and found his distress gone. That uneasy feeling that had been bothering him earlier, began again and Jim was frustrated that he couldn't put his finger on what it was yet.

Jim could hear the birds chirping and knew he wasn't going to be getting anymore sleep. Once he was up and dressed, he headed downstairs and began to make breakfast. He tapped on Blair's door.

Blair opened one eye sleepily at the intrusion of his sleep. He'd been tossing and turning all night and had finally gotten comfortable enough to sleep when the tap on his door occurred. He threw a pillow at the door and mumbled, "Go 'way." He put the other pillow over his head to drown out the smells and sounds of Jim and breakfast.

While Jim was filling the plates, he heard the sound of the pillow hitting the door and Blair's muttered words. He sighed, set the plates down, and headed towards Blair's room. He tapped on the door again, and then went in. He found Blair with the pillow still over his head and the covers tangled around his waist and legs.

"Come on Junior, time to get up." Jim said as he tried to peel the pillow off of Blair's head. He managed to dodge the aimless kick and decided that taking the blanket away first would be in his favor. He unwound the blanket and placed over the end of the bed.

"Blair! Get up. Come on Chief, breakfast is ready." Jim said as he shook Blair's shoulder gently. He barely avoided the hand that darted out to shove him away. Jim delivered a swift, sharp, swat to Blair's backside, and then chuckled softly as Blair darted a hand to protect himself a minute too late.

Quickly darting out of bed, after he was sure no more swats were going to rain down, Blair glared at Jim as he tried to rub the sting out. "What the hll was that for?" Blair growled not realizing the word he used.

Jim arched an eyebrow at Blair's choice of words and said, "Excuse me? You'd better curb that tongue of yours real quick Chief, or you're gonna find out what the soap in the bathroom tastes like."

Realizing what he said, Blair dropped his gaze and hung his head. "I'm sorry Jim. I didn't mean to say that. It-it just slipped out, I'm sorry," Blair whispered softly.

"Come here, Chief." Jim said beaconing the distressed teen over to him.

The scent of tears assaulted Jim's nose as Blair made his way over slowly. "Please Jim. I'm sorry." Blair pleaded as he stood in front of Jim trying hard not to completely dissolve into sobs, while tears streaked down his cheeks.

Jim looked at the teen for a few minutes then turned Blair to the side and delivered four hard swats to the boy's backside. He immediately turned Blair back towards him and enveloped him into a warm hug. "I'm sorry I had to do that Chief, but I won't tolerate you saying those kind of things. Next time words like that come out of your mouth, I'm gonna give you a mouth full of soap and more than four swats to your backside. Understand?"

Blair nodded quickly against Jim's chest. He hadn't been expecting Jim to swat him and was still a little distraught over it. He began to calm down though and snuggle against Jim. "I'm sorry about what I said. Jim. You just shocked me." Blair finally said.

"I know kiddo. Don't worry about it anymore, you're forgiven. Now let's go get breakfast before it gets completely cold." Jim said as he turned Blair to lead him out of the room.

"Hey Doc what's wrong? You seem a little upset. Did Jim find out about last week?" Dan asked his friend. He could tell something was wrong when he noticed Blair still on his first cup of tea.

"No. That's the problem Bear. I should've told him like you said. I haven't been sleeping well and I feel horrible." Blair told him. He took a small sip of his tea and looked up at his friend with watery, dark, blue eyes.

"You're feeling horrible Doc, because you're feeling guilty. I still don't understand why you wouldn't tell Jim. This isn't a bad place, you wrote Jim a note telling him we were gonna be gone for a while, and you were back way before curfew. Why didn't you tell him Doc?" Dan asked trying to figure out the complexity that was his friend.

"I told him we were gonna be at your house and that we were only gonna be gone a couple of hours." Blair said, as tears began to spill over his cheeks. He hung his head and quickly wiped them away. A strangled sob found it's way out of Blair's mouth, as he tried to keep it quiet.

Dan sighed and tried to find the strength to deal with his friend's stubbornness. He put an arm around Blair's shoulders and said, "Look Doc, I know you said we were gonna be at my house, but you forget you said probably, that means that maybe we were going there maybe we weren't. As for being late, we were only ten minutes late."

One look at Blair's face and Dan knew it was time to leave early once again and take his friend home. He walked over to the guys he usually sat with and said, " I apologize gents, but my young friend isn't feeling well. I'll be in tomorrow night to finish our discussion."

Three of the young men nodded, but the fourth gave Dan a look and asked, "Are you going to be bringing him again? If you do, I think we'll have to consider revoking your membership."

"If I bring him, it's my decision. Revoking my membership is not your decision Christopher, so keep your opinions to yourself." Dan answered back.

Jim stretched out on the couch and concentrated on the basketball game before him. He bolted up when the scent of tears assaulted his nose and Blair's erratic heartbeat registered in his ears. He jumped up off the couch and opened the door to find a miserable looking Blair and a concerned Dan.

The minute Blair saw Jim, he flung himself into Jim's arms and began to sob harder and louder. He could feel Jim's arms immediately wrap around him and it was Blair's undoing. He squirmed out of Jim's comforting embrace and fled to his room.

When Blair's door shut loudly, Jim looked at Dan and asked, "What happened? He was fine… no he was agitated about something when he left. He's been this way since last week. Did something happen to you two?"

Dan could see the confusion mixed with concern in Jim's eyes and said, " Something did happen, but I think it would be better if Blair were to tell you. I'll call later and see how he's doing." Dan turned and walked down the hallway.

Jim closed the loft door quietly and could hear the sobbing coming from Blair's room. He headed over to Blair's room and opened the door. He saw Blair huddled on the bed sobbing as if his heart would break. Jim sat on the bed and began to rub Blair's back and shoulders. "Shh come on Chief. Settle down kiddo. We can work out whatever's wrong." Jim said softly trying to comfort the distraught teen.

The words meant to comfort the teen only made him sob harder. "Stop… please… don't deserve…was terrible." Blair mumbled.

"No Chief, I'm not gonna stop. You always deserve comfort no matter what you think. Calm down and tell me what you think you've done that's so terrible." Jim said stroking Blair's curls.

The next few minutes Blair just lay sobbing trying to clam himself while Jim sat next to him trying to reassure him. A little while later the loft was quiet, except for an occasional sniffle now and then. Jim had maneuvered them both so that he was sitting against the headboard with Blair against him. Blair had protested at first, but complied when he saw he wasn't going to win.

"You ready to talk now Chief?" Jim asked as he rubbed Blair's arm.

"I think so. I feel really horrible about it too. I'm not saying that either to get out of punishment either. I've been feeling horrible all weekend and I guess that's why I haven't been sleeping well and why I snapped at you this morning." Blair said, his throat hoarse and raw from sobbing so hard. He pushed away from Jim so he could look him in the eye. "When Dan and I went out last week, we went to a coffee house after the movie. It's a place Dan knows about and it's nice. We stayed late though and came home ten minutes late. I know you probably saw the note I left." Blair said as he looked down at his hands and waited to hear what Jim had to say.

Jim sat for a while after listening to Blair. He cupped Blair's face in his hands and asked, "Blair what about the terrible thing you did? I didn't hear you tell me that terrible thing that you did."

"I-I just told you. I went somewhere other than where I told you I was going and I came home late. I-I also lied when I told you I didn't know where Dan and I were going tonight." Blair admitted as tears filled his eyes and began to streak down his cheeks and over Jim's hands.

Jim shook his head and pulled Blair towards him into a hug. "What am I gonna do with you huh? Look Chief, I don't mind that you were ten minutes late, or that you went somewhere else. You want to know why?" He asked and waited till Blair nodded before continuing. "I don't mind because both nights you came back from being with Dan, I didn't smell anything I shouldn't on you. Now about you telling me you didn't know where you'd be going tonight."

Blair sighed softly and decided to take the initiative and get it over with. He squirmed out of Jim's arms and gave Jim a sorrowful look. He went and sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. He waited till Jim moved and sat next to him before standing.

When Jim saw the look Blair sent him and then sit on the edge of the bed, he wondered what was going on in Blair's head. He sat next to him and hoped to find out what he was up to. He was surprised when Blair started fumbling with the button on his jeans. He placed his hand over Blair's hand and said, "Whoa there Chief, are you wanting to be spanked that badly?" Jim grinned at the look of genuine surprise on Blair's face at his remark.

"Well I-I thought…but-but aren't you?" Blair started and then went quiet for a few minutes to gather his thoughts. "I figured that you were going to, since I lied to you. I'm sorry I didn't say anything about it, I just wanted…I don't why." Blair admitted.

" You want to know what I think Chief? I think maybe you didn't tell me because you wanted a place where you could go that was just for you. Someplace where you could go without having to worry about the temptation of liquor. Yes I know about the place you and Dan went to. Ben called a few minutes after you two drove off. He wanted to ask Dan something. I told him you two had already left and that I wasn't sure where you were going. He informed me of the place where you were going and said Dan always went there on Friday nights. He told me not to worry about you, because you would be fine and that he had checked it out himself when Dan first started going." Jim said as he pulled Blair back down next to him.

"So does this mean I'm off the hook?" Blair asked hopefully as he looked up at Jim. His eyes pleaded for a reprieve.

"Not quite Chief. What did I say rule two was around here?" Jim asked as he began to rub Blair's arm.

Blair's eye immediately watered as he hung his head. His shoulders sagged as he sighed softly before answering. "Don't lie." He stood up next to Jim's right side and went to unbutton his jeans for the second time that night.

"Wait Chief. You can keep them up tonight." Jim said and waited for a response.

Blair's eyes widened and he immediately shook his head and said, "Please Jim, don't use the brush, I won't lie again." Remembering the last time that Jim said he could keep his jeans on but he'd have the brush used on him.

Jim was rather surprised at Blair's tearful plea. "I have no intention of using the brush Chief. Come on now, over you go." Jim said as he drew Blair over his lap. He rubbed Blair's shoulders and asked, " Okay Chief, now why are you about to get spanked?"

"I-I lied about not knowing where me and Dan were going tonight." Blair answered as his body tensed in knowledge of what was coming next.

"What day was that, when you asked if you could go Chief?" Jim asked as he continued to rub soothing circles along Blair's back and shoulders and occasionally stroking Blair's curls.

"M-Monday." Came the puzzled reply.

"Five days ago okay." Jim mumbled.

He tucked Blair close to him and delivered five hard swats that left Blair gasping for air at the suddenness of the spanking. Tears quickly sprang to his eyes as he waited for the rest of it. When nothing happened after a few minutes, Blair turned his head and looked back at Jim.

Jim couldn't help but smile at the bewildered look on Blair's face. "You think you can remember to tell me the truth from now on Junior?" Jim asked.

"Yeah I'll remember." Blair said still unsure of what was going on. His backside was stinging a bit nowhere near what it had a few weeks ago.

"Alright then, we're done here." Jim said as he lifted Blair and sat him on his lap.

Blair was quiet for a few minutes and then asked, "Jim, why'd you only give me five swats? I lied to you." He searched Jim's face trying to see what was inside him.

"I know you did Chief, but I figured that with the guilt you were feeling those five days, you'd punished yourself a lot already. It won't always work like this though Chief. I just want to let you know that." Jim told him.

Blair nodded his acceptance and said, "I know Jim, but thanks for this time." He laid against Jim for a few minutes then bounced up and said, "Hey isn't the game on? If we hurry we can watch the rest of it together." He stood bouncing on the balls of his feet and staring at Jim.

Jim laughed at Blair's quick mood change and excited nature. "Sure Chief, I left the television on. Why don't you go get comfortable on the couch and I'll grab us some popcorn."

The excited teen bounded out of his room, into the living room and onto the couch. He nabbed the remote and turned the volume up a bit. He looked over and watched as Jim microwaved a bag of popcorn.

He could feel Blair watching him and walked over with the popcorn as soon as the microwave dinged. Jim sat down at one end of the couch and smiled when Blair laid down and put his head in Jim's lap.

Blair didn't actually eat any of the popcorn, but he began to fall asleep as Jim ran his fingers through Blair's curls. By the end of the game Blair was asleep and Jim was staring down at him.

"You have to stop falling asleep on me Chief, you're not a lap dog." Jim said softly and chuckled lightly as he stroked the teen's hair.


	4. Chapter 4

Blair was trying to move as quietly as he could around the kitchen as he prepared breakfast for he and Jim. He hoped to surprise his guardian with breakfast for once, instead of Jim waking him. Glancing once up at the Jim's bedroom to make sure he was still asleep, Blair turned and busied himself in the fridge.

Once he had gathered the things he needed from the fridge, he stood up, turned and kicked the door shut. He jumped and gasped when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of someone standing by the fridge, but kept hold of the objects in his arms. "Jeez Jim, do you _want_ me to drop our breakfast?" Blair grumbled. He looked over his shoulder at Jim, smirked and said, "I guess next time I decide to be nice and make breakfast for a change, I'll forget about it and go back to bed."

"Oh really? Well then I guess the next time I see your little butt up in the air while you're digging in the fridge, I won't hesitate to land a swat on it." Jim retorted back as he snuck up behind Blair and landed a harmless swat to the teen's backside. He enjoyed their morning bantering, when he could actually get Blair out of bed. He grinned as he realized Blair finally made the place feel like a home. Suddenly he felt a flick to the back of his head and saw Blair darting away still holding the dishtowel he'd used as a weapon. "Alright Junior, I see how were playing this morning. You want to sneak attack, we'll sneak attack, but I'm warning you now Chief, I'll win." Jim said as he looked for Blair and didn't see him. Jim dialed up his sense of hearing and looked for Blair a different way.

Blair peered around the couch from his hiding spot on the other side. He tried to keep his breathing from coming out in soft pants knowing Jim would hear them immediately. He was concentrating so hard on his breathing and looking for Jim, that he failed to notice his predator till he found himself up in the air and then hanging upside down over Jim's shoulder. "Hey! Put me down!" Blair yelped, but began to laugh a moment later. "Noooo! Jim stop, nooo!" The teen howled with laughter as he tried to get away from the fingers that were tickling his ribcage mercilessly.

"Sorry Chief, not gonna happen. I caught you fair and square, so you're my prisoner and I can torture you any way I see fit." Jim said tickling Blair's ribs again before he grabbed the foot that was about to descend against his thigh again. A shriek of laughter filled the loft as Jim began to tickle the sock covered foot.

"Jim…(pant)…stop…(pant)…a…(pant)…minute…(pant)…please…(pant)…I…(pant)…can't…(pant)…breathe." Blair gasped out, his laughter gone with the heavy breathing. He found himself quickly uprighted. He would've crumpled to the ground if Jim hadn't held him steady till the wave of dizziness passed.

"You okay now Chief?" Jim asked, concern filling his pale blue eyes. He ran his hands up and down Blair's arms as he listened to Blair's heartbeat and breathing.

"Yeah Jim I'm fine. How the he… how did you sneak up on me like that?" Blair asked catching himself before the word slipped out. He looked sheepishly at Jim, his cheeks tinged with pink.

Jim raised an eyebrow at the almost slip and said, " I'll let it go this time, since you didn't actually say it, but just watch your mouth. Understand?" He almost laughed at Blair's round eyes and rapidly nodding head. "Now as for how I snuck up on you, remember Chief, I was in covert-ops. We were trained to move without making a sound." Jim told him giving an affectionate pat to the teen's still pink cheek.

Blair sighed with relief when he realized Jim wasn't going to do anything else but scold him. "Hey Jim are you sure it's okay that I go with you to the station?" Blair asked wondering if Jim had been able to make the arrangements.

"Sure Chief. I already got it cleared with Simon, besides I think he's anxious to see you again. All we have to do is sign you in when we get there and get you a visitor's pass. Now let's go fix breakfast and get dressed. I don't think Simon would like it much if we came in still dressed for bed." Jim said as he turned the excited teen towards the kitchen.

Jim smiled to himself as he could practically feel the excitement pouring off the teen next to him. He could hear the increased heartbeat and breathing, but it was different from when Blair was upset about something. He heard a softly muttered "Oh wow!" when they entered the Major Crimes bull pen, and smiled more as he hung both his and Blair's coats up.

Blair's attention darted around the bullpen like a bumblebee collecting nectar as he reached for his knapsack and began rummaging through it without taking his eyes off anything. Once he found his notebook and a pen, he sat down and began to immediately write down his observations. He didn't notice the amused, then annoyed but loving look given to him by his guardian. What he did notice was that gradually the hustle and bustle of the pen was dying down and everyone's attention was turning towards he and Jim. Blair began to unconscientiously inch towards Jim as the shocked and surprised stares were making his feel uncomfortable.

Simon had been watching the scene from his office and laughed as he watched the energetic teen practically dump his sack upside down, looking for a pen. He laughed even harder as the teen sat, oblivious to the mess he made and Jim, who was now muttering softly as he crouched down and put the kid's things back in his sack. He saw everyone else notice the detective, who normally growled at everyone; cleaning the mess he would've made anyone else clean. When Simon saw that the stares were making Blair uncomfortable, he decided to put a stop to it. "Hey! Is everyone on break out here? I didn't think so, now get back to work!" Simon barked as he opened his office door. Everyone jumped at Simon's command and quickly went back to their desks and work. Satisfied, Simon took a cigar out of his breast pocket and stuck it in his mouth.

Jim nodded his thanks at Simon and watched as the captain went back into his office. He looked at Blair, who was still looking a little freaked, and laid a hand on the teen's shoulder. Jim bent down and whispered reassuringly into Blair's ear, "Don't worry about those gawkers Chief. They're just wondering who the good looking kid is, that's all." He gave Blair's shoulder a gentle squeeze as he saw the grateful look Blair gave him.

Blair settled against the chair and began to quietly observe the bullpen. He was a little disappointed that everyone was now concentrating solely on his or her work, but Blair remained quiet hoping to pick up small little tidbits of information. He knew Jim was right near him at his own desk, so he wouldn't be able to move to far from his chair, but maybe he could get just a little closer.

"Back over here Chief." Jim said without looking up. He had heard the restless movements and had wondered how long it would be before his little pup would get curious about his new surroundings. He smiled at the small sigh of frustration and wondered how long it would be before Blair got up the nerve to get up again.

Blair waited till Jim was engrossed in his paperwork and then slipped quietly off his chair. He cast a few timid glances back at Jim as he moved further away from the detective, but he soon forgot about his guardian and became caught up with the seemingly new language that was spoken here.

Jim looked up, ready to call Blair back for a second time, and smiled when he saw the look of pure excitement cross the teen's face as he wrote furiously in his notebook. He watched how Blair would look up, cock his head to the side for a moment, jot something down and then move to a different location. He watched as Blair finally stopped next to Henry, but everyone usually called him H and Rafe and waited to see what would happen between the three.

Rafe was the first to notice the quiet observer. He nudged H slightly and made an unnoticeable gesture with his eyes. H nodded slightly, aware of the scrutiny from the teen and made a side glance at Jim who was watching with mild amusement. Rafe flicked his eyes up without moving his head and saw H was now glancing back at him. "Hey H, read me the description of that thief again, I don't quite remember everything." Rafe said as he grabbed one of the appropriate sheets still without looking up.

"Sure babe. Let's see, caucasian male, sixteen, russet brown, shoulder length, curly hair, one…no two gold hoop earrings in the left ear, uhm let's see uh, oh about 5'9", I think that's it no wait the suspect was also carrying a ratty looking backpack." H said scrolling his finger down a sheet of paper making it look like he was reading the description off of it.

Jim picked up on the game when he caught the glance from H, and smiled as the two younger detectives continued with the ruse. He looked at Blair to see the teen's reaction and became concerned when he saw Blair, who was still standing near H, looking extremely pale. The kid was standing as still as a setter in point and his breathing was coming in heavy gulps. Jim recognized this noise as a pretense to soft sobs. He decided to quickly put an end to the game. He got up and walked over to Blair. The minute he was in Blair's space, the teen instantly turned and slumped against him. Jim's left arm went across Blair's back, while his right hand went to the back of Blair's head. He gave H and Rafe an apologetic look, and then before he could do anything else, Simon opened his office door and motioned to Jim. Jim moved himself and his quietly sobbing charge into Simon office and quietly closed the door.

"What happened out th…" Simon trailed off when he saw Jim shake his head. He nodded his understanding, poured a cup of coffee and quietly offered some to Jim.

Jim shook his head at offered coffee as well and just concentrated on calming the teen trembling in his arms. "Shhh settle down Chief, it's okay kiddo. Henry and Rafe were just teasing you kiddo. They didn't mean any harm. Shhh, that a boy, deep calming breaths. Okay now Chief, why did that upset you so much?" Jim asked quietly as he continued to stroke the back of Blair's head and occasionally rub the back of Blair's neck.

Blair stiffened at the question, then quickly relaxed his stance. They were teasing? Crap, Jim's gonna know something now. I know he felt me stiffen, maybe he'll chalk it up to me being upset, but what do I say to him? "I-I uh guess it's because I'm just not used to anyone else but you teasing me. I'm stupid, I should've known. OW! Hey!" Blair yelped as Jim landed a hefty swat on his jean-clad backside. "What was that for?" Blair asked as he blinked back the tears that had formed in his eyes and tried to rub the sting out of his butt.

"I don't ever want to hear you put yourself down like that again. You are not stupid." Jim immediately scolded. "Why would you say something like that? You're sixteen and in college, if that's not smart then I don't know what is, but you are not stupid. Understand?" Jim asked as he looked into the teary, dark blue eyes.

The curly headed youth nodded mutely and stepped towards Jim again seeking comfort, which was given generously. The teen had been completely oblivious to the fact that they were in Simon's office until he heard someone clearing their throat behind him. His cheeks turned quite warm and red when he turned and saw Simon sitting at his desk watching the two. He gave a shy smile then stood there and nervously tucked his hair behind his ear.

"Well it looks like he's still in good condition. I thought you'd have packed him off to east Siberia by now." Simon said gruffly looking at Jim.

Jim smiled a little at the comment, then wrapped his right arm around Blair's shoulders and said, "Nah, he's grown on me for some reason, so I think I'll keep him around for a while longer." He rubbed Blair's arm a bit and glanced down at the kid. He saw the definite smirk on the teen's face and was glad the kid caught on to the teasing this time.

"Hey guys, I hate to interrupt, but we got a phone call about a 10-54. Me and Rafe'll head out now and check it out." H said as he poked his head into Simon's office. He was about to leave when he heard Jim's voice.

"Wait H we'll go too. I might be able to pick up something that you guys can't." Jim said immediately as he drew Blair closer to him. When H left, Jim stared down at his young charge knowing his next words weren't going to be taken very well. "Chief, I need you to stay here with Simon's secretary, Rhonda. I know you want to go, but not this time kiddo. This wouldn't be good thing for you to see." Jim said as he felt the young man tense under his arm. He prepared himself for the anger that was going to boil up in a minute.

"I won't be any trouble. Please let me go. " Blair pleaded at first. He looked up at Jim with a wounded expression, hoping it would work to convince the detective to let him come along.

"I'm sorry Junior, but the answer is still no. You're not going this time Chief and that's final." Jim said turning the youngster to face him and staring into the stormy and defiant blue eyes.

"That's not fair! You said I come with you today and go if you got a case! You promised!" Blair shouted as he backed away from Jim. His hands were tightly fisted at his sides as angry tears streamed down his face. 

Simon, who hadn't said anything, cleared his throat and said, "Jim I'm gonna go on ahead. You finish up whatever you have to here and I'll meet you there."

Once Simon had left the room, Jim turned back to his seething little pup and wasn't surprised to hear something like a low growl coming from the boy. "Listen to me right now Chief, and listen good. You. Are. Not. Going. End of conversation. I'll explain later why you couldn't go. Sit at my desk and if you need anything, just ask Rhonda. If you need to use the bathroom you know where it is, just let Rhonda know where you're going. Now come on I have to go." Jim explained in a no nonsense tone.

Blair steadily glared at his guardian, but finally gave a curt nod and headed towards the office door. He shot Jim a wounded puppy look, then walked over to the detective's desk and flopped down in the chair.

"I promise I'll explain everything when we get home tonight okay Chief?" Jim asked as he picked up his coat and patted Blair on the head.

Blair jerked his head away and scooted his chair away from Jim. "Leave me alone Jim. I won't hold you to that promise either, since you already broke one to me. I guess you'll be breaking your other promises now, too." Blair said softly as he dug through his knapsack.

Jim winced at the words spoken and the venom in Blair's voice and sighed. He tried to pat Blair on the shoulder, but Blair pulled away, his attention still on the contents of his knapsack. "We'll talk tonight kiddo, behave." Jim said as he left. He walked to the elevator, and as he rode down to the lobby, he sighed loudly and began to wonder if he was doing the right thing. The last time I left him he took off, maybe I should just call Simon and tell him to do the best he can. No, I can't. They need me to help. I'll talk to Blair later and get him to understand why I had to leave him behind. His thoughts helped ease his conscience some, but he was still worried about his little pup.

As soon as Jim was gone, Blair pulled another notebook out and was careful not to make a mess this time. The new notebook was smaller and had a design etched on the front of it. Blair kept it clutched tightly to his chest as he dug gently through his bag again and pulled out a long wooden box. It was hand carved and had a design on top that matched the notebook, a panther pawprint, with a smaller wolf pawprint inside of it. It had a beautiful blue lining inside and on the lining was a simple looking aqua pen. Blair sat quietly as he wrote in the book for about five minutes. While he wrote, he got an idea and wondered if it would work. Jim won't like it. Oh who cares, he already broke a promise to me, so he can't get mad. "Hey Rhonda, I'll be back in a few. I have to uhm go to the restroom." Blair said as he began to leave the room.

Rhonda looked up smiled at the teen, nodded and looked back down. She would've spoken to him, but she had a phone call at the moment and was scribbling a note. Had she been paying attention, she would've noticed that Blair had taken his coat and backpack with him.

Blair breathed a sigh of relief as he made it to the elevator. The only problem he had now was how was he going to get to the crime scene. He wanted to observe the police and Jim in action. Maybe there's someone who's heading to the scene late, maybe I can obfuscate a little and hitch a ride there. Jim'll probably have my hide…No he broke a promise so I can go if I want. Blair thought to himself. He felt almost a heaviness in his heart, and tried to shake the feeling off. He wasn't going to let it bother him, he wasn't.

Jim closed his eyes at the sight before him. He tried not to think of his sullen charge back at the station as he looked at the slightly blue corpse of a teen that had been tied to a tree and clothed in nothing but his boxers. Jim turned his face up and opened his eyes to look at the wintry sky as he swallowed the lump in his throat and blinked back the tears that were forming in his pale blue eyes. He took a deep breath and steeled himself to do his job. Emotions couldn't get in the way at the moment.

He walked over to the body, which was still tied to the tree and frowned when he saw the black eye. "Someone must've decked the kid so they could tie him up. I need someone over here to collect the samples with blood on them. There's a lot of it on the kid, but I don't think it's his. Could be the perp's. Thomas were there any witnesses when you arrived?" Jim asked as he finally looked up and questioned a rather tall officer.

"No detective. I got the call saying someone reported the body, but when I got here, there was no one. I knocked on the front door but there was no answer, so whoever lives here either hasn't been home today, left early this morning, or is the perp. I'm willing to bet it's the last one." Thomas said offering his opinion.

"So am I." Jim stated bluntly.

While Jim and the others made their notes, Jim started to get a whiff of Blair's herbal shampoo. He frowned and looked up, but didn't see the kid. Someone else here must use it. Blair's safe back at the station. Well, maybe I'd better call Rhonda to see how he's doing. He was pretty upset when I left him. I hope he hasn't been given her a hard time otherwise I'm gonna owe her big time.

Blair's heartbeat began to pound rapidly in Jim's ears. "What the…?!" He roared as he jumped up and began scanning the area. When he pinpointed the sound coming from the house, Jim blanched considerably.

"Jim? Jim! What is it Jim?" Simon shouted as he raced over when he saw Jim go white. He looked towards where Jim was looking and frowned at the seemingly quiet house. "Jim what is it? What do you hear?" He asked puzzled.

"Blair." Was the only word Jim muttered before he snapped out of his stupor and headed for the house. What is he doing here? How did he get here? Did he get taken at the station? I hope Rhonda's okay. "Simon call the station and find out what's going on there. Blair's inside and I'm thinking maybe he was taken from the station. I need you to call and find out if anyone's hurt."

"Someone would've called Jim. And what do you mean Blair's inside? I thought he was at the station. You said Rhonda was keeping an eye on him." Simon asked fiercely.

"She was, but he's in there now Simon. I can hear his heartbeat." Jim said . Then suddenly growled as he narrowed his eyes at the perfectly white house. He clenched his fists and began to storm toward the house.

"Jim! Get back here! What in the world is wrong with you? You can't storm in there, there's no telling what's going on." Simon growled as he followed Jim.

"I know exactly what's going on in there. He's going to try to beat my son, but he won't get that far." Jim spat out. He could hear the frightened voice of his child and the sadistic voice of the one who was terrorizing Blair.

Blair huddled in the corner of the living room, behind a large recliner, his eyes squeezed tightly shut. He wasn't sure where the man went at the moment, but if he could hide behind the chair long enough, maybe Jim would hear him and protect him. Jim please find me and hurry. I don't care how much trouble I'm in just please get here soon. Blair thought knowing Jim couldn't hear his thoughts. He heard heavy footsteps headed towards him and opened his eye a crack and then immediately wished he hadn't. The large chair was shoved aside and Landon Jackson stood there sneering at the frightened teenager.

"Get up you sniveling coward. Why are all of you such sniveling, whining, cowards? Why can't any of you take it like men? You act like a bunch of kicked dogs. All this whimpering and howling. I bet I know why you act like a sissy, you're a Mama's boy. Aren't you? GET OUT OF THAT CORNER NOW!" Landon bellowed when he saw Blair still in the corner. He raised the belt he held tightly in his fist, but stopped when he saw the fear on Blair's face. An evil grin appeared on the man's face when he saw Blair flinch at the sight of the belt. "So someone did try to teach you some manners eh? Good." Landon said smugly. He raised the belt even higher and sent it down rapidly towards Blair's cringing form.

Blair's body trembled visibly as he drew his knees up to his chest, pushed his head down against them and laced his hands against his neck to protect it. He waited for the intense stripe a fire that would land, he hoped, across his shoulders. He didn't want it to land anywhere else. He could take it as he had before on his shoulders and back. He didn't want it anywhere near his face or more tender and sensitive areas. Suddenly Blair realized that the blow he'd been waiting for hadn't come yet. There sounded like a scuffle going on. When he looked up, his eyes teared up with relief and one word escaped his mouth in a happy sigh, " Dad."

When Jim had entered the house he heard the rapid breathing and heartbeat of his child. He entered the living room and saw the man bringing his arm down fast the belt flying with the force. He grabbed the man's arm and ripped the belt from his hand before it had a chance to even lightly touch Blair. "Don't you touch my child." Jim growled as he grabbed the front of the man's shirt in his other fist and brought the man's face right up to his. "You will never harm or kill another child ever again." Jim said in a hoarse whisper. He was about to do more when he heard the relieved sigh and word that emitted from his child. He looked up and saw that Simon had entered the room and was ready to take over. Leading Landon over to Simon, he made sure the scum that had thought about touching his child was firmly in Simon's grasp before turning to Blair.

The minute he saw Jim turn to him, Blair scrambled to his feet and flung himself into Jim's warm embrace. He shivered against Jim's chest as he wrapped his arms around Jim's waist. He felt Jim's arms go around him, then stiffened as he felt something brush against him. When it brushed against him a second time, he realized that Jim was still holding the man's belt in his hand. No, this is Jim. He promised never to beat me. Just calm down, he won't hit me with it. Blair thought to himself. His breathing slowed as he calmed himself and snuggled closer to Jim.

Jim had felt Blair stiffen when he wrapped his arms around the teen and wondered what was wrong. When he felt Blair relax against him, he wrapped his arms around the boy tighter. His fingers brushed against the belt and he immediately realized why Blair had stiffened against him. He dropped the belt, buried his nose in the top of Blair's head and breathed in the smell of the teen's herbal shampoo. He turned his head and laid his cheek on the silky mass of curls as he began to mutter soft comforting words.

"It's gone Chief, I'm sorry, I didn't think about it. You're safe now baby, you're safe." Jim said almost too softly for Blair to hear as he was trying to reassure himself more than his child. He rubbed the back of Blair's neck gently with one hand as he rubbed soothing circles over the boy's back. Once he had calmed down himself and was sure Blair was fine, he allowed the anger he had felt earlier to return. He stopped rubbing Blair's back and hovered his hand over Blair's backside for a moment, then stopped and wrapped his arm back around the teen.

Blair had felt Jim's hand move from his back and waited for the swat he knew was coming with closed eyes. When he felt Jim's arm wrap around him instead, he pulled his head away from Jim's chest and stared at Jim bewildered.

Jim looked down into the confused dark eyes and smiled at the teen. He brought his hand away from Blair's neck, brushed the curls from Blair's face gently and then spoke to Simon without taking his eyes off the teen. "Simon we're going to head back to the station. Unless you still need me here."

"No Jim, you two go on. We've got things handled here. Infact why don't you and the kid just go on home. I think we can handle things." Simon said as he watched Henry and Rafe take the man from the house.

Jim nodded, and led Blair out of the house. He opened the passenger door of the truck and helped Blair in. He shut the door, went around to the other side of the truck, climbed in and laid his forehead against the steering wheel for a few minutes. Finally he sat up, started the truck and drove home.

They entered the loft silently. Blair hung his backpack up on the hook by the door, then went and stood against the center beam of the loft. Jim watched his nervous young charge pace near the beam, stop lean against it for a moment then go back to pacing again. They had talked about how Blair had gotten to the scene and how he had gotten out of the station undetected. He tried to find the right words to say at the moment but couldn't, instead he walked over to Blair and laid his hands on the teen's shoulders stilling the restless movements for the moment. "Chief…"It was the only word Jim got out before Blair interrupted him.

"Jim, I know you're upset with me for showing up today. I-I know you told me to stay at the station, and I really wish I had now, but I have a question." Blair paused at that moment and when he saw Jim's signal to go ahead he asked, "When we were still in the house, you went to swat me, but you stopped. Why?"

He knew he had confused Blair with his decision, but it had been the right one in Jim's mind at the time. "Let me ask you something Chief, if I had, how would that have made you feel?" Jim asked after thinking on the question for a minute.

"Horrible and embarrassed. Like I'd never be able to face anyone at the station again, especially Simon." Blair admitted quietly as his cheeks turned bright red just thinking about it. He ducked his head his hair acting as a veil.

"That's why Chief. I don't have any intention of humiliating or embarrassing you in front of anyone. I will always try to wait till we get back to the loft before discussing your behavior, but if it looks like we won't be able to get here anytime soon, I will always make sure we are some place private before taking action. I promise." Jim spoke solemnly as he stared into the dark blue eyes that were now shimmering with unshed tears.

Blair swallowed hard at Jim's words and when he blinked, the tears that he had been trying hard to hold back spilled down his cheeks. He closed his eyes slowly as Jim reached his hand up and gently wiped the tears away with his thumb. He wanted to enjoy calming moment and the gentle touch.

Jim knew that Blair wasn't flinching from his touch, he knew the teen just wanted to savor the moment a little longer and Jim didn't see the harm in waiting till they were both ready. The afternoon was going to become unpleasant soon enough without Jim pushing it. Once the tears had stopped, Jim moved them both towards the couch. He sat down and tried to bring Blair with him, but was surprised when the teen resisted.

No, not yet please not yet. I'm not ready yet, I just need more time. Blair thought as he pulled against Jim a little and found he could pull away with ease. He sat tentatively across from Jim on the coffee table. He wasn't sure what was going on, especially when he saw the worry and concern in Jim's eyes.

"Kiddo, what's wrong? Talk to me Chief." Jim said as he reached forward and went to put his hand on Blair's shoulder. He stopped when he saw Blair flinch. It hurt him to see Blair flinching again. He hadn't done it in over three weeks and Jim had hoped it wouldn't happen anymore.

When Blair saw the hurt pass through Jim's eyes when he flinched, he knew he had to set things straight. "It's not you Jim, I know you won't hit me. It just the stuff that happened today, that's all." Blair said softly. He continued a few minutes later, "I'm just not ready yet."

Jim nodded and beaconed the teen over to him. "Come here Chief."

Blair hesitated a moment, but then went over and sat at the other end of the couch. He looked up at Jim for a moment then put his head down and waited. He's gonna start yelling in a minute, I know he is. Why did I resist him, he might've comforted me more. He jumped when he felt an arm lay gently across his shoulder. Blair looked up and saw Jim staring down at him.

"Blair, I know you didn't flinch because of me. It just hurts to see you flinch like that. I'm nor going to punish you yet either. Remember I told you that we'd talk about it first. I think we need to do that now." Jim said his voice calm and soothing as he reached up slowly and gently cupped the side of Blair's face with his hand.

He leaned his head against Jim's hand and nodded. He lifted his head from Jim's hand and waited.

Jim pulled back a little and just stared at the waiting teen for a moment. "Okay kiddo, I want to know what you think was the first thing you did wrong today was." He said calmly hoping that Blair wouldn't drag this out like he did some times.

"Uhm yelling at you in Simon's office?" Blair asked softly as he lowered his eyes and head.

"Eyes up here Chief. No that wasn't the first thing you did wrong, though we'll talk about that too. No Chief, the first thing you did wrong was not trusting me." Jim quickly raised his hand to stop the protest forming on Blair's lips. "Wait Chief let me explain. I know you trust me kiddo, but you didn't trust me to know what was good for you today. I knew what the scene would be like and I didn't want you to see it. Which brings me to the second thing you did wrong. You lied to three people today. You lied to me when you acted like you were going to stay at the station, you lied to Rhonda when you told her that you were just going off to the bathroom, and you lied to Officer Stephens when you told him that I asked for you to be brought to the scene." Jim paused for a few minutes and let his words sink into Blair.

Blair cringed as Jim brought up the things he had done wrong, but when Jim listed the people he lied to, Blair hung his head. "I'm sorry Jim, I guess I really just didn't think today."

"No you didn't kiddo, I know that's not what you want to hear right now, but it's the truth. I also want to discuss why you went into the house. Did you think I was inside?" Jim asked as he placed his hand under Blair's chin and raised his head to meet the teen's eyes.

Blair sucked part of his lower lip into his mouth and begin to lightly chew on it. He knew Jim wasn't going to like his answer at all. "Uhm well I wanted to observe the scene from where you couldn't see me, so I sort of snuck into the house that was there and…"He stopped when he saw the look of anger on Jim's face and swallowed hard.

"You. Did. What?" Jim asked in a very short controlled voice. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He gave Blair a stern look and asked, "Exactly how did you get inside?" Jim knew he probably wouldn't like the answer and prepared himself for the worse.

Blair licked his suddenly dry lips and said, "Well I uh, I knocked on the door and uh it opened by itself, so I uh, I went in." He saw the look on Jim's face and began talking faster trying to smooth things over. "Jim, man I swear if I had known that guy was in there I would've never gone in."

"Go to your room. Go to your room right now Blair. I'm too angry to deal with you at the moment." Jim said quietly. He didn't dare make his voice any louder knowing he'd give in to his anger and end up saying things he didn't mean to Blair.

The quiet tone had Blair easing off the couch backwards and heading to his room without turning around. He didn't want his backside exposed to Jim at this moment. He slipped quietly into his room and sat on his bed. Blair trembled slightly as his actions that day finally came back to him. He lowered his head down into his hands and sobbed softly. How could I have been so stupid, Jim's gonna to kill me. No I can't think like this. I need to relax before I have a panic attack. Blair slowly raised his head and wiped his eyes with a corner of his shirt. He ran his shirtsleeve under his nose next and sniffed loudly. Dark blue eyes darted to the doors of his room and stayed there till he was sure Jim wasn't going to come in there. Soothing music was needed and Blair began to search his room for his cd player.

Jim could hear the soft sound of drums coming from Blair's room. He knew Blair was trying to keep himself from having a full-blown panic attack. The sentinel kept tracking his guide's vitals till the heartbeat began to slow and the breathing evened out. Satisfied that Blair was finally asleep, Jim got up from the couch. Jim's thoughts began to wander as he opened one of the french doors that led into Blair's room and just watched the sleeping teen. He then walked over, sat carefully on the bed and began to stroke Blair's cheek and hair.

Little pup, you could've been killed today and I don't want to think about how I would've felt if you had. I'm not gonna lose you pup, not by a long shot and I'm gonna prove it later with a discussion neither one of us is going to enjoy.

Jim sighed at the last thought as he looked down at his sleeping child. He gave Blair's cheek a gentle pat, tucked the blankets around the sleeping teen and brushed a few curls out of his face. A few minutes later he went upstairs and stood at his dresser. The half inch thick hairbrush felt like lead when Jim picked it up. He quickly put it down, then sighed, picked it up again, went over to his bed and sat down.

I'm gonna have to test this first. I don't want to bruise the pup, just give him something to think about. I wonder if a rolled up newspaper would work better.

Jim smiled a little at his musing, then turned his sense of touch down to that of a normal person, hitched his one leg up and crossed it across his other leg. He went to push his pant leg up, then stopped and decided to test it over the jeans first. He brought the brush up and cracked it down on his leg with what he figured would be a decent amount of force.

The sting in his leg as the brush made contact made him jump and wince at the same time. When he raised his pant leg to see the damage, he was surprised to see just a faint pink spot. With his pant leg raised, he decided to test the brush once more. When he applied the brush this time he made sure the force was a little lighter but still strong enough to create a healthy sting. He noticed that it took him a couple of times of applying the brush on the same spot a couple of times before he got the same faint pink mark he had made with the brush over his pant covered leg. Coming to a decision, he got up, headed downstairs, set the brush down on the coffee table and then went into Blair's room.

Blair began to whimper, his heart and breathing quickened, he bolted up as he awoke and suddenly found himself wrapped in Jim's arms. He laid his head on Jim's shoulder and said, "It was horrible Jim. That guy had me again, only this time you couldn't find me. He beat me and beat me and beat me before he tied me to a tree like he did is own kid. Why Jim? Why did he do it? How could a father do that to their kid?"

"I don't know kiddo. There are some sick people in this world Chief, and sometimes we run across them in our life. You're here though, and you're safe and I will always do my best to protect you, but you my mischievous little pup have to help me. Pulling a stunt like you did today is not helpful." Jim said his voice becoming firm at the end.

Blair pulled away from Jim, looked at him and said, "I know and I'm sorry. I just wanted to go so badly and you had said I could, but when you told me no, I got mad. I know that you made a conditioned promise that if it was something minor I could go, but I wanted it to mean I could go no matter what and so I kept telling myself since you broke your promise to me I could go."

Jim waited patiently as Blair explained himself. He rubbed Blair's arm as the teen talked keeping his touch reassuring and comforting. When Blair was done, Jim remained quiet for a few moments then began to speak. "Blair, I know you wanted to go today and that's why I made a condition on the promise. I didn't want you to get hurt. When I heard it was a 10-54, which means a possible dead body, I knew that if you were to come along, that it might be too much for you and maybe cause you to have nightmares. I kept you from going to keep you safe Blair, not to hurt you."

The phone suddenly rang at that point and Jim got up and left the room to answer it. He picked up the phone on the third ring. "Ellison. Oh hi Ben. What's up? Oh really? No I don't mind. Yes I'm sure it's fine. Right at five see you then." Jim placed the phone down and was headed back to Blair's room when he saw the brush still on the coffee table. He sighed, headed over to the coffee table, picked it up and headed into Blair's room.

Blair had waited quietly while Jim left to answer the phone. When he heard Ben was on the other line he became curious and hoped he'd be let in on what Ben wanted when Jim returned. His door opened a few minutes later and when he saw what Jim held in his hand, he froze and his eyes grew large. "Jim, no. Please Jim don't use that, please." Blair whimpered softly as he got up and moved away from the bed.

Jim steeled himself against the teen's pleading and said, "I'm sorry kiddo. I can't have you risking your life Chief. You're very precious to me and I'm not going to lose you. I love you kiddo, and I don't plan on you leaving me anytime soon. If me using this brush on you is gonna make you think before you act next time, then I'm gonna use it. Come on, let's get this done." He sat down on the bed and motioned to Blair.

Blair shook his head, turned, leaned against his desk and breathed heavily. His mind was racing and couldn't concentrate on chanting to calm his panicky mind. His whole body stiffened when he felt Jim's hand on his shoulder.

"Shh, easy Chief. Just calm down and take deep breaths." Jim said gently as he rubbed soothing circles over Blair's shaking back and shoulders. He wasn't prepared when Blair suddenly turned around, threw his arms around Jim's middle and began to sob deeply against his chest. Jim stood stunned for a moment then wrapped his arms around Blair and began murmuring soft reassurances to the distraught teen.

The frantic heavy breathing began to even out after a few minutes. Slowly Blair released his hold on Jim and pulled away. He opened his mouth a couple of times his eyes filling with tears again.

"Let's get this over with kiddo. It won't get any easier on either of us if we keep prolonging it." Jim said as he put an arm around Blair's shoulders, rubbed Blair's arm and gently led him over to the bed. He sat down on the bed, but when Blair went to bend over, Jim stopped him and gently grabbed Blair's arm. "Jeans down first kiddo." He said and was glad he had a hold on Blair's arm when the teen immediately tried to jerk away.

Blair began to struggle and frantically tried to pull out of Jim's grip, when he heard the request. When he realized that his struggling was getting him nowhere, he turned to pleading with Jim. "Jim, please, let me keep them up. Please."

"Blair, let me show you something." Jim said as he let go of Blair and raised his pant leg. He showed Blair the purplish-blue bruise on his leg and then looked at the gaping teenager. "I tested the brush earlier on my leg, which was covered by the way, and this is what happened. I don't want to do this to you Chief, so the jeans have to come down." Jim said covering the ugly bruise back up.

The teen's eyes were still transfixed on Jim's leg. He looked up at Jim his eyes filled with a mixture of pain and love. "Y-you tested the brush on y-yourself, so you w-wouldn't hurt m-me?" Blair asked still not believing the words himself.

"No, this _is _going to hurt Chief, I did it so I wouldn't bruise you. I would be no better than the Sharp's if I were to use this blindly on you. Okay Chief enough stalling, get your jeans down." Jim said touching Blair lightly on the wrist. He wanted to be able to grab the teen if he decided to bolt.

The thought that Jim cared that much about him kept Blair from bolting. He didn't realize that he had unbuttoned his jeans or pushed them down until he found himself face down over Jim's lap. He crossed his arms on his bed and laid his head on them.

Jim tried to cover the chuckle forming in his throat with a cough but failed miserably as the smiley face, sticking it's tongue out, stared up at him from the back of Blair's boxers. He thought he heard a small chuckle from Blair, but wasn't sure when he heard the barely audible gasp when he slid the teen's boxers down.

Blair groaned when the first swat landed and realized Jim was starting with his hand. His small grunts and groans gradually turned into loud whimpers and yelps as the spanking progressed. He clenched his fists tightly, determined not to reach back, at least not until Jim started using that brush.

Since they had already gone over why Blair was getting spanked, Jim saw no need for conversation. He wanted Blair to concentrate fully on the spanking itself. He continued to rain swat after swat down until Blair's backside was a rosy pink. He paused for a moment and picked up the brush. Jim closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he rested the brush on Blair's heated backside. .

The coolness of the brush against his heated flesh felt good for a moment, until Blair realized that it was going to be replacing Jim's hand. When the brush suddenly disappeared only to reappear a moment later with a harsh crack to his already hurting bottom, Blair tried to bolt off Jim's lap, but was held fast by Jim's arm around his waist. The second swat was worse than the first in Blair's opinion and he immediately threw his hand back to protect the sensitive flesh.

Jim hadn't seen Blair's hand whip back until he was mere inches from the boy's hand. He quickly moved Blair's hand to the small of his back and held it there while he raised his right leg and administered the next four swats to Blair's sit spot.

Feeling his hand being moved out of the way, Blair wasn't prepared for the next four swats that landed painfully on their mark and howled loudly at the intense pain. He swiftly kicked his feet up to protect his backside while he began to plead earnestly with Jim once he was able to speak again. "Jim please, I can't take anymore. Please stop." Blair begged, his voice becoming hoarse from the sobbing and hitched breathing he was doing.

The last word came out as a pathetic whimper and tore at Jim's heart, but he gently tapped Blair's feet with the brush and said, "Feet down Junior." Jim sighed as he saw the negative headshake from Blair. " Blair, put them down kiddo." Jim said again as he put the brush down and pushed at the feet himself. They went down easily. He picked the brush back up and began to once again apply it to the teen's tender undercurve. Howls of pain and sobs of true regret came from the teen with each painful swat. Jim lowered his leg, landed ten more swats to Blair's backside, then tossed the brush aside and began to murmur gentle words of love and comfort to the sobbing teen as he rubbed calming circles on the boy's back.

Blair didn't realize it was over with till he felt something settle gently against his aching bottom, and he was lifted and settled on Jim's lap. He yelped loudly and tried to scramble off of Jim when he made contact with the rough jeans.

"Shhh, hold on, shh shh shh there. Better?" Jim asked after he had moved them further on to Blair's bed so that he was against the headboard and Blair was draped half on him and half on the bed. He felt the slight nod and started to comfort the boy.

Blair's left arm was hooked around Jim's neck while his right arm was under Jim's left arm and across the detective's lower back. He sobbed deeply against Jim's shoulder and felt twin bands of love and comfort wrap around him, easing his heart.

"Shh, it's okay, it's okay. Shh, it's over kiddo." Jim crooned gently as he lightly rocked the teen and rubbed his back. The deep sobs began to slow and were soon replaced with a lighter sobbing and hitched breathing. Jim could hear Blair's heart beat gradually slow and his breathing, though still raspy and hitched was slowing as well.

"I-I'm s-sorry Jim. Sorry." Blair said softly against Jim's neck. He moved closer to Jim and whimpered as the movement caused his shorts to rub against he sore bottom. His whimpers ceased as he felt Jim's hand caress his back.

"Hush, you've been forgiven kiddo. No more apologies, okay?" Jim said softly. He felt the nod against his shoulder. Silence filled the room for the next few minutes, until Jim heard the soft yawn that was trying to be kept from him. Jim chuckled lightly and said, "I think maybe someone needs to rest for a while." Jim helped the sniffling teen to stand, then to lie on his stomach, and then helped the teen to adjust the blankets one by one till his charge confirmed that he was completely warm and not just one certain part of him. Jim pulled the chair from Blair's desk over to the bed, then sat down and stroked Blair's hair and cheek till the teen fell asleep. Jim looked at his sleeping child and said softly, "How could anyone hate their child as much as that man did today? How could he beat him and leave him to die like that? Every child is priceless and more valuable than anything in the world. You don't have to worry about me Chief, I know what a treasure you are." Jim got up, stroked Blair's head once more letting his fingers mingle with the teen's curls for a moment, then trailed his hand down to the teen's neck and gave it an affectionate squeeze before turning off the light and leaving the room.

An hour later Jim looked up from the newspaper he was reading on the couch at the front door. He had heard the sound of the elevator opening and the approaching footsteps. He got up and opened the door before his visitors had time to knock. "Hi Ben, good to see you again." Jim said quietly as he moved from the door to allow Ben and Dan inside. When Dan walked past Jim, Jim pulled the kid into a hug and said softly in his ear, "Blair's just waking up, why don't you go see him."

Dan looked at Jim with wide eyes at first when Jim hugged him, but understanding filled him when he heard Jim's words. He nodded, pulled away, went over to Blair's room and went in without knocking. He closed the door behind him.

Ben stood looking at Jim for a moment and then began to apologize, "I'm sorry Jim, I don't know what's got into that kid lately. He's never been rude like that before, maybe I should postpone my trip and take him back home."

Jim stared at the smaller man. Chocolate brown hair stopped at the nape of the man's neck, and he was graying at the temples. His eyes matched his hair and were the same rich brown as his hair. He had a wiry frame and looked as if a strong breeze would knock him over. He was dressed in tan khakis and a light blue button down shirt. There was little to no resemblance to Dan though and Jim was curious as to why. He knew Dan called Ben by his first name, but thought there was a reason behind it. Now there seemed to be more than Jim first thought. "Don't worry about it Ben. I told him to go see Blair. You go on, we'll be fine.

Ben nodded and started to leave, then paused and turned around. "Jim you'll call me if something major happens right. I mean if Dan get into major trouble call me and let me know and I'll be on the first plane back here." He said earnestly.

"We'll be fine Ben, but yeah if something happens I'll call. Go on or you'll miss your flight. We'll be fine." Jim said as he ushered the smaller man towards the door and out into the hall. Once Ben got on the elevator and the doors had closed, Jim closed to the door to the loft, leaned against it and thought. What have I got myself into? I hope I don't regret this


	5. Chapter 5

Dan stood in the darkened room for a moment and then was startled when a lamp was turned on and a soft glow filled the room. "Hey Doc, I thought Jim said you were getting up. You don't look like you're getting up to me. What's wrong?" Dan suddenly asked as he noticed the dried tear stains on Blair's cheek. He walked over and sat on Blair's bed to get a better look at his friend.

Blair quickly hid his face and scrubbed his cheeks trying to rid them of the leftover tears. "Oh it…it's nothin' Bear. I…uh…I…" Blair fumbled with the words as he tried to think of something to say. He could feel his face heating up with embarrassment and wished he could just turn the light back off.

"Doc, come on this is me Bear you're talking to; you got spanked didn't you? What happened?" Dan asked concern wrapping around his voice as he saw Blair nod a little and hide his face again. He pushed his glasses up that were sliding down the bridge of his nose and then laid his hand gently on Blair's shoulder.

A small sigh was heard as Blair turned onto his side and propped his head up with his hand. He proceeded to tell Dan what had happened that day, from when they went to the police station till they got home. Tears had formed in his eyes by the end and he reached up and hastily brushed them away.

"Wow Doc, you got yourself in deep this time didn't you. Still in pain too, I take it?" Dan asked wincing when he had heard the story. He saw Blair nod and move to lie back on his stomach again.

"Yeah it hurts a lot. I see now why you told me to avoid that hairbrush at all costs. That thing packs a sting, but you know what, I never thought that Jim would test it on himself before using it on me. It…it made me see Jim differently and respect him a little more, too, but man has he got wicked swing. I'm not gonna be able to sit for at least two or three days." Blair said as he reached back and tried to rub out the returning sting in his butt. He hissed when he made contact and moved his hands back up under his head.

"I've got something that'll soothe it for a while." Dan said as he brought out a bottle from his duffle bag he had brought into the room. He smiled as he held the bottle close to Blair so the other teen could inspect it.

Jim could hear the conversation from the kitchen as he started to make dinner. He raised an eyebrow as he caught snatches here and there as he tried not to listen but couldn't help himself. When he heard Blair and Dan lower their voices, he chuckled to himself. Come on Chief, you know that I can still hear you, so why the whispering? He had heard Dan mention that he had something to ease the pain for a while and though Jim was tempted to go in and tell them "no", he mentally allowed Blair the small comfort knowing the teen would take it anyway. He smiled as he heard a soft contented sigh a few minutes later and the mumbled gratitude a moment after that.

Blair could smell the beginning of dinner wafting through the crack under the door and breathed the scent in. "Mmm spaghetti. I hope he's got garlic bread cooking too. Maybe we ought to go out there and see if he needs help." He said standing up and looking at Dan. He walked over to his dresser and pulled a pair of black sweats out and began to put them on.

"Doc, I think the aloe's affected your brain. Won't Jim be suspicious if you go out there and aren't in pain?" Dan asked confused by his friend's words. He slipped the bottle back in his bag hoping he wouldn't need any while he was here.

"Uhm Dan, first of all I'm still in pain but it's tolerable now and secondly remember what I told you about Jim being a sentinel and everything? I'm sure he knows what went on in here. Come on let's go." Blair said as he finished tugging the sweatpants in place.

They left the room and Blair made a beeline for the bathroom. He turned the sink on and began to scrub his face free of the tears. He leaned on the counter for a minute, then straightened up and turned the water off. He dried his hands and face and walked back out into the kitchen.

Jim smirked at Blair when he came in and asked, "So how's the aloe working Chief?"

Blair grinned and shot a glance at Dan who had been setting the table and was now staring at Blair with a shocked look on his face. "It's working pretty good." A sense of doubt though passed over Blair and it showed on his face as he looked at Jim and asked, "You're not mad that I used it, are you Jim?"

"No Chief, I'm not mad. It's okay kiddo, I understand why you did it." Jim told the teen when he saw the doubtful look on Blair's face. He turned the burner on low and walked over to Blair. He wrapped the boy in a warm hug and tried to ease his fears. "That brush stings a lot I know so it's okay, just don't use it every time alright kiddo." Jim said as he stroked the teen's curls trying to reassure his young charge.

Dan watched the scene quietly and finished setting the table. He walked over and checked on the sauce that was simmering in the pot. He stirred it a little then checked the oven to see if there was garlic bread cooking.

"It's in there kiddo. Blair would have my head if I didn't make garlic bread with spaghetti. Wouldn't you Junior?" He asked dancing his fingers across Blair's ribcage. He was greeted with an ear-piercing squeal and laughed when his hand was swiftly batted away.

"Nooo Jim, don't please! Stop please!" Blair screeched with laughter. He batted Jim's hand away from his side again and began to try to get away. He tried to tickle Jim but couldn't find a spot to get him to laugh.

Neither Jim nor Blair noticed, while they played, the wistful way that Dan stared at them. He took a deep breath and smiled as Jim and Blair stopped playing and turned towards him. " I think the food's done." He said and pushed his glasses back up.

"Well then let's eat." Jim said as he put an arm around Blair' shoulder and steered the teen towards his seat, which had one of the throw pillows from the couch on it. "I guess you don't want that now do you?" Jim asked as he gave Blair's bottom a light pat.

Blair looked at him wide eyed and said, "No I think I still need it." He grinned and made a face at the pat. "Hey come on that hurt. I'm injured you know." Blair said though he smiled afterwards. He sat down on the cushioned chair and winced a little. When he looked up and saw the shocked look on Dan's face he gave Dan a questioning look back.

Jim saw the looks between the two teens, but chose to ignore them and began serving the food. He sat a few minutes later and began eating. He felt something lite wap him on the top of his head. He looked up and saw that Blair and Dan both had their heads bent over their food. "Alright you two. I'll let that one go, but if something whacks me again, it's war gentlemen." Jim said lightly.

Blair grinned as he kept his head bowed over his plate. He glanced slightly at Dan and frowned when he saw his friend's pale color. He nudged Dan slightly with his foot and the other boy looked up. "What's wrong?" Blair mouthed.

Dan shook his head. He wasn't sure what Jim had meant by war, but he was sure it wasn't good. He saw that Jim's head was bent back over his plate and saw Blair wadding up another napkin to throw. Fear was evident on Dan's face as he tried to nudge Blair again with his foot. His foot though connected with air as Blair moved slightly and tossed the napkin at Jim's head.

When the wadded up napkin found its mark again, Jim didn't move at first. He stayed perfectly still as he listened to Blair's excited heartbeat. He started to move, but stopped when he heard another heartbeat and this one sounded frightened. Jim slowly sat up and watched Blair quickly bolt from his chair. Dan however remained sitting perfectly still with his head still bowed over his food. "Dan? Is something wrong kiddo?" He asked as he got up and headed towards the still teen.

Dan quickly looked up at the mention of his name. He schooled his face quickly and smiled. "No I'm okay. Sorry I was sort of spaced out there. I started thinking about this horse I used to have and how scared I was when he bucked me off the first time I tried to ride him." Dan told Jim with a strong aire of confidence.

Jim rolled the words around in his head like you would do with a fine wine in your mouth, but found no trace of a lie in the statement. "Dan you know if you need to talk, you can come to me right?" Jim asked as he watched and listened to Dan. He placed a hand slowly and gently on Dan's shoulder and was relieved that the teen didn't flinch. He saw a look of gratefulness flicker for a moment in the teen's eyes, and then quickly extinguish.

Dan nodded a little then quickly finished eating. He looked up and noticed that Blair wasn't anywhere to be seen. He glance up at Jim with an amused but curious look. He grinned and nodded slightly when he saw Jim motioning him to be quiet.

Blair had taken the opportunity, while Dan and Jim were talking, to hide and try to keep himself from making too much noise. He drew his knees up to his chest, laid his head on top of his knees and stilled his breathing as much as he could.

"Alright Chief, I see we're playing this again. I thought you learned this morning that I will always find you, you sneaky little pup." Jim said with a smirk. He began listening for Blair's elevated heartbeat and grinned. So you've learned some new tricks as well eh pup. Jim thought to himself as Blair's heart was a very low thudding making it almost impossible for Jim to pinpoint his location.

Dan watched in amusement as Jim searched for Blair by sound first. He almost laughed when Jim had to switch tactics and find Blair by scent instead. He moved from his spot in the kitchen, to sit on the couch in the living room.

The scent of herbal shampoo assaulted Jim's nose the minute he got close to Blair's bedroom. He chuckled softly. Found you pup. Jim thought as he stepped into the room and immediately zeroed in on his guide behind the door. He quickly turned around and grabbed the young man up in his arms. "Found you kiddo. Now about these napkins you feel the need to throw at me. I think I'm gonna have to figure out what to do with you about it. Ahh I know."

Blair yelped as he was found and grinned as he was brought up to his feet. When Jim made his threat, Blair's eyes widened but the smile never left his face. He followed Jim out into the other room and sat at the other end of the couch when Jim told him to. He watched as Jim walked over to the kitchen and began rummaging for something. Blair craned his neck around trying to see what Jim was doing. He looked at Dan who was looking at him amused.

Dan grinned at Blair, then looked towards the kitchen trying to figure out what Jim was getting as well. His eyes widened when he saw Jim stand up holding a rolled up newspaper. He looked at Blair, leaned close to his friend and whispered, "What do you think he's gonna do with that?"

The other teen shrugged and whispered back, "I have no clue but I think we're about to find out." He looked up as Jim towered over him with a mock stern look on his face. Blair looked up at Jim and tried to look contrite but couldn't quite keep the smile off his face.

Jim took the paper and tapped it on top of Blair's head lightly. "Bad pup. No more throwing things at me." Jim admonished lightly, then ruffled Blair's hair. "Alright kiddo enough playing let's get things cleaned up." Jim said pulling Blair to his feet.

Dan got up and the words as well, but was shocked when Jim halted him. "You don't want me to help?" He asked confused by Jim's actions.

"No kiddo you helped set the table so, you don't need to help clean up too." Jim told him and ruffled the teen's hair.

"Hey!" Dan yelped as he tried to fix his hair. He grinned at Jim then asked, "Are you sure you don't want me to help? I don't mind at all."

"Do I have to use this newspaper on you as well?" Jim threatened and then smiled at the teen.

"Okay, okay. I'm sitting; see this is me sitting." Dan said as he sat on the couch and laid his head back.

"Good Cub." Jim said giving a wink at Dan then went into the kitchen and began to wash the dishes. He snagged Blair as he tried to go back into the front room and said, "Hold it pup, you can help me. Grab a towel, you can dry."

Blair made a face, but grabbed the towel and began to dry the dishes and put them away. He looked over at Dan as he dried the dishes and noticed the almost wishful look on his friend's face. He looked at Jim to see if he noticed the look, but Jim wasn't paying attention and when Blair looked back, the look was gone from Dan's face.

Dan had seen Blair looking at him and schooled his expression while trying to think of something acceptable to tell his friend without actually lying. I'm betting Jim feels the same way about lying as Ben does. I'll just keep quiet for now

Jim smiled as he looked at the two teenagers sleeping on the couch. Blair and Dan were sitting next to each other heads touching as they slept. Jim smoothed a hand over each boy's head and began to gently wake them both. He began to rub their arms lightly and said softly, " Hey come on kiddos, time to go to bed." Dan began to stir, so Jim worked on him first. "Come on Bear Cub. There's a boy up you get." Jim gently prodded getting Dan to his feet. He wasn't prepared for what happened next though.

An ear-piercing scream shattered the silence in the loft, and jolted Dan awake, causing him to stumble a little. He grabbed a hold of the armchair to regain his balance before he looked at Blair wide-eyed. Blair had his eyes open but wasn't really awake, yet.

Jim perched in front of Blair and gently rubbed the frightened teen's arms. "Hey kiddo come on, wake up. Come on Chief, you're home and you're safe. That a boy, come on Chief." Jim said softly as Blair began to come out of the nightmare. He moved to the couch to be ready to comfort the now shaking teen. He looked up at Dan and said, "Why don't you go get ready for bed kiddo."

Dan had been leaning against the chair when Jim spoke to him and just nodded at the words. He pushed himself away from the chair and headed to Blair's room to get his duffle bag. He entered the room and sat on the bed for a few minutes still trying to digest the scene he had just left. I never knew Doc had nightmares like that. He must not want me to know otherwise he would've told me. That must be why Jim made me leave the room. Dan thought to himself as he finally grabbed his duffle bag and opened it. He cringed a little as his hand brushed against the item that Ben had insisted that he bring. He quickly retrieved his pajamas and zipped the bag shut.

Jim looked up when he heard the soft gasp and slightly elevated heartbeat come from the other room, but decided to ask about it later when the heartbeat dropped back to normal and Blair began to move closer to him. "Hey pup how are you doing?" He asked as he put an arm around Blair and pulled him closer.

Blair laid his head on Jim's shoulder and said, "Better. Jim, I know this sounds stupid, but would…would you stay with me till I fall asleep tonight?" He heard a soft thump come from his room and his cheeks quickly flushed red as he remembered they had company. "Uhm never mind Jim, I…uh…I'll be okay." Blair said trying to retract his earlier statement.

Jim had heard the thump as well and the even softer curse. He shook his head and said, "Look Chief, I'll stay with you tonight okay, there's no need for you to be embarrassed about it. I do have a couple of questions for you though. You've told Dan about my sentinel abilities, right?" He waited for the affirmative nod, then asked, " Does he know that I can hear things no matter how soft or light they are?"

"I think so, but I'm not really sure Jim. Why?" Blair asked as he pulled away from Jim and looked at him.

"Don't worry about it Junior. Come on time for you to go to bed." Jim said as he stood up and helped Blair to stand as well. They walked to Blair's room and went in. Dan was sitting on the bed looking like he didn't know what to do next. "Hey kiddo, why don't you go out in the other room and I'll be along in a minute with some pillows and blankets for you." Jim told him.

Dan nodded and got up. He went out and sat on the couch. He rested his head against the back of the couch and stared up at the ceiling, then his eyes drifted to the loft where Jim slept. He could hear the murmuring of voices coming from Blair's room, but couldn't make them out. His eyes closed for a moment and when he opened them, he was startled when he was looking into Jim's pale blue eyes.

"You falling asleep on me again. Here I brought you some pillows and blankets. I do need to talk to you though Cub. Can you stay awake for fifteen more minutes?" Jim asked as he turned to go back into Blair's room.

"Yeah, I wasn't sleeping, I was thinking about things." Dan said as he started to rearrange the pillows and blankets to his liking. He laid down and waited for Jim, hoping sleep would claim him before Jim came out.

A few moments later Jim came out of Blair's room and sat on the coffee table in front of Dan. "Sit up kiddo, we have to talk." Jim said touching Dan lightly on the arm. He watched as Dan sat up and grabbed his glasses from off the top of the couch.

Dan slipped his glasses on and looked at Jim apprehensively. "What did you want to talk about?" Dan asked.

"I know Blair's explained to you about my sentinel abilities, but I wanted to know if you knew that meant I could hear very softly uttered things." Jim asked getting straight to the point and watching Dan for his reaction.

Dan looked at Jim confused. "Well I guess so, I know that you can hear Blair's heartbeat if that's what you mean. Is-is there something wrong with Blair that I don't know about?" Dan asked thinking that's what the conversation was about.

Jim smiled and touched Dan on the knee. "No kiddo, nothing serious like that. I heard what you said in the room while you were getting ready for bed. I don't like those kind of words Daniel." Jim told the teen his voice getting a stern edge to it.

Dan's head dropped immediately at the admonishment. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't realize you could hear me. I know I shouldn't have said it anyways, it just sort of popped out. I had hit my toe on Blair's desk as I was moving my duffle bag. I am sorry, I didn't mean to do it." Dan said his voice barely a whisper at the end.

Jim cupped Dan's chin in his hand and raised his head till the watery chocolate brown eyes met his. "I know you're sorry, and it's okay. I am going to give you the same warning I gave Blair though, okay. I need you stand up kiddo." Jim said as he stood and waited for Dan.

Dan closed his eyes and took a deep breath before standing himself. He wasn't quite sure what Jim was going to do to him, but he was sure he wasn't going to like it.

Jim waited for Dan to stand and watched as the teen forced himself up. He turned Dan to the side and landed four swift swats to the teen's backside. He turned him back to face him and said, "I don't want to hear any words like that again okay? Otherwise you'll get a mouth full of soap and more than four swats." He pulled Dan into a hug and was surprised at the teen's stiff response. He held him away and looked at him a moment before he said, "I'm sorry kid, I guess I should've just talked to you about it and told you what I was going to do." He was surprised when Dan suddenly leaned against him and he put his arms around the teen. He ran his hand up and down the boy's back and murmured to him softly, "Shhh it's alright kiddo, you've been forgiven."

Dan had remained quiet through the swats and wasn't sure what to do when Jim pulled him into a hug. I can't believe that's all he's going to do. Ben would've done more had he heard the word that came out of my mouth. He's apologizing for not telling me? Oh I remember when Dad used to hug me like that, maybe if I lean against him, he won't mind giving me another one. He's already forgiven me? Oh this is so nice, I don't think I'll mind staying here for the next two weeks. Dan slipped his arms around Jim's waist and sighed contentedly.

Jim patted Dan's back a little and reluctantly released his hold on the teen. "Alright Cub, time for bed." Jim told him as he pulled the blankets back from the couch. Once Dan had settled, Jim tucked the blankets around him and reached to take the teen's glasses off. He was surprise when Dan didn't stop him and smiled at him. "G'night Bear Cub," Jim said as ruffled the teen's hair eliciting a complaint from him.

"Hey come on not the hair. G'night Jim, uh Jim? Can I ask you something? Why do you keep calling me Cub or Bear Cub?" Dan asked with a half smile on his face as he tried to fix his hair.

"It's just my personal spin on Blair's nickname for you. I've got a question for you, how did you two think of those names for each other?" Jim asked as he sat back down on the coffee table.

Dan smiled as he remembered the first time he had started calling Blair "Doc" and said, "Well we had been talking about what we were doing in school and Blair told me he was trying to get his doctorate in anthropology, so I decided to call him "Doc" for short. As to why he calls me Bear well, he actually picked the name up from my younger brothers and sister. It was a name my father originally called me, but when he passed away, my brothers and sisters continued it."

Jim frowned a little and asked, " Does it bother you when I do it? I don't want to upset you or anything."

"No I kind of like it. I asked Dad once why he called me that and he said, 'Because you're as mean as an ole mother bear when you're protecting you brothers and sister.' I miss them and I wish I knew what was going on with them." Dan said as he sat up and retrieved his glasses again.

He looked so forlorn sitting there, that Jim moved to sit on the couch next to him. He put his arm around Dan and drew the boy close. "Where are they?" Jim asked wondering what horrors lied in Dan's past.

"They're with my Mom." Dan sighed heavily. He looked at Jim and said, "Ben's my step dad. Mom was always hard on me when I was younger, but Dad was always there to keep her temper from getting to bad, then when he passed, she-she became almost abusive. Ben came a long about a year later and he kept Mom's temper reigned in. We we're living near Blair when Ben came along, but I didn't meet Doc till about another year after Ben came along. Anyways, Mom got worse even with Ben there so Ben told Mom that he was leaving and that I could leave with him if I wanted. I jumped at the chance, but what hurt was that Mom didn't seem to care." Dan stopped for a moment and took a long shuddering breath. He felt the arm around him tighten and laid his head on Jim's shoulder.

"Aw Bear Cub, I'm sure your Mom cared. She moved away from the warehouse didn't she?" Jim asked and sighed inwardly when he felt the nod against his shoulder. He heard the stifled yawn and said, "Come on Cub, time for bed. We can talk more tomorrow if you want." He stood and helped Dan to settle under the blankets once more. "G'night Cub."

"Night Jim and thanks." Dan said looking up at Jim before rolling on to his side and closing his eyes.

Jim chuckled softly as he reached down and removed the forgotten glasses from the youth's face and placed them on the coffee table. He then turned and headed for the stairs that led to his own room to go to bed as well.

One dark blue eye opened and Blair poked his head out of the warm blankets. He slipped one foot out from under the blankets, set it on the floor, and then quickly jerked it back under the blankets. Okay where are my socks? There is no way I'm getting out of this bed without my socks on. Blair looked around and spotted them just at the foot of the bed. He quickly slipped them on, got out of bed, grabbed his robe and slipped it on while he walked out into the front room.

Dan stirred a little and had the sudden suspicion that he was being watched. He opened his eyes and saw Blair sitting on the coffee table staring at him. "Morning Doc." Dan said sleepily as he grinned and went reaching for his glasses. He frowned when he didn't find them on the top of the couch. He looked around and spotted them near Blair. "Hey Doc, hand me my glasses will you?" Dan asked as he pointed towards his glasses. He slipped them on once Blair handed them to him.

"Hey let's get some hot chocolate before Jim gets up." Blair said as he grinned and got up to head for the kitchen.

"Okay sounds good." Dan said as he got up and headed into Blair's room. He came out a moment later wearing a robe similar to Blair's. He walked out of the room and stared at the balcony doors. "Hey Doc, look outside." Dan said softly as he made his way over to the doors and just stared out.

Blair looked up from digging under the counter for marshmallows, and his eyes widened as he said in a slightly hushed voice, "Oh cool, it's snowing." He looked up at the loft to see if he had waken Jim and was glad to see nothing stirring upstairs.

The teen's accelerated heartbeat caused Jim to wake rather abruptly. Well that and the teakettle going off. He could hear quiet talking and Blair's heartbeat had returned to normal, so he figured his little pup had gotten excited about something. He got dressed and then decided to go find out what had grabbed his pup's attention. The two teens stood side by side as they stared out the balcony doors at the large feathery snowflakes that had been falling for nearly an hour. Jim noted that they had similar robes on, and as he made his way downstairs he could still smell chocolate, guessing that one or both of them were indulging in an early morning treat. He made it to the small kitchen are without either boy knowing he was there.

Blair was the first to turn and see Jim in the kitchen. "Jim look it's snowing." He said as he bounced on the balls of his feet. He looked down at his mug of hot chocolate for a moment, then looked up at Jim and asked, " Hey Jim, could you bring the marshmallows over here? Mine are all melted."

Jim grinned, popped a marshmallow into his mouth and said, "I know it's snowing Junior I can see you know. You're legs don't look broken, why can't you come over here and get them yourself?" He watched as Blair turned the puppy eyes on him and stuck his lip out in a large pout. "Hey Chief, remember what I said about that lip? A bird is gonna think it's a perch and land on it one of these days."

The lip was immediately sucked into the teen's mouth, and then released as he broke into a grin, but before he could speak another voice spoke. "Doc's right, we need more marshmallows and the reason we can't come over there is because we're watching the snow. Right Doc?" Dan said, though he didn't turn to face anyone. He kept watching the snow as he brought his mug of hot chocolate to his lips and sipped at the heavenly liquid.

Jim raised an eyebrow at the teen but noticed that he didn't turn around to see Jim's reaction. He became concerned when Blair began to look worried and rushed over to see what was wrong with his silent cub. When he walked over he didn't realize he was still carrying the bag of marshmallows with him. He was startled when Dan suddenly turned to face him and saw the smirk on the teen's face.

"See Doc I told you I could get him to bring the marshmallows over." Dan said breaking into a huge grin. He calmly plucked the bag from Jim's hand and took out a few more marshmallows, put them into his mug and sipped at the hot chocolate. "Ahh much better. Thank you Jim." Dan said politely.

Jim finally grinned and shook his head. "You little sneak. I'm not sure if I should give you a pat on the back for a good trick or a smack on the butt for worrying me." Jim said as he laughed afterwards.

Dan grinned and said, "Well I already know what a smack on the butt feels like from you; I've had four of them to be more precise and if it's my choice I'll take the pat on the back thank you." He went back to sipping his drink.

Jim snorted with laughter and pulled Dan into a quick hug careful of the steaming mug, and then landed a light swat to the teen's backside. "You're a mouthy little thing aren't you?" Jim asked trying not to laugh anymore.

Blair stood wide-eyed at the confession that fell from his friend's lips. He turned to Jim and asked, "You spanked him? Why, he hasn't even done anything yet." His voice was taking on a more angry tone.

The angry tone was met with a raised eyebrow, but before Jim could say anything, Dan spoke softly. "I deserved it Doc. I said something I shouldn't have and Jim heard me. It was nothing more than a warning and nothing to get angry about." Dan told his friend.

Dark blue eyes and brown eyes stared at each other for a moment, then Blair finally nodded and turned to Jim. "Sorry Jim. I-I didn't mean to…" He started but stopped when a hand was placed gently over his mouth.

"Shh, I know why you did it. I understand okay Chief." Jim said as he saw and heard the remorse. He ruffled the wild curls and took his hand away from Blair's mouth to see the grin that was there. "Alright, I have to leave for the station. Stay out of trouble, I'll be home about five or six." Jim said as he grabbed his coat from the coat rack and gave both boys a smile before leaving, shutting the door behind him.

It had been a long hard day and Jim was glad to be going home. He couldn't wait to find out what his little imps had been up to all day. Snow was lightly falling again and Jim hummed to himself as he drove home. He could hear the arguing as he pulled into his vacant spot on the side of the building. What in the world? he thought as he sighed loudly. He headed into the building and into the elevator. When the door opened at the top, Jim winced as he could hear the loud arguing and his sentinel hearing wasn't needed. Jim hoped none of the neighbors had called the station. He opened the door, walked in and immediately grabbed something that came flying at his head.

The teens were in such a heated argument, that they were oblivious to Jim's arrival. Jim decided to try something his father did when he and his brother, Stephen, got into arguments like this when they were teenagers.

The arguing lessened considerably after a few minutes as the teens began to realize that someone else was there. Blair was the first to notice Jim sitting quietly in the chair reading the newspaper. He looked at Dan and raised an eyebrow as he gave a quick look over at Jim again and then back at Dan.

Dan looked questioningly at Blair and shrugged. He didn't know what was going on either. He beaconed to Blair and both boys went, sat on the steps and began to talk softly.

"What's going on? When did Jim get home and why didn't he say anything?" Dan asked quietly.

"I have no clue. I never saw or heard him come in. Look I'm sorry I yelled at you for closing my web page document." Blair said blushing a bit as he turned away.

"Hey, don't. I should've asked if you were done and I'm sorry I threw my keys at you. I felt like throwing something, but I wasn't willing to break anything." Dan said as he put his hand on Blair's shoulder and blushed a little at his own childish act.

"Yeah well I should've saved it before going to make a snack. Don't worry about the keys, where did they land anyways?" Blair asked before chancing a quick glance over at Jim.

Jim still held the paper, though he had stopped reading it when the boys began talking. He had listened to their conversation and smiled inwardly. He hadn't thought about what to do about them arguing since they seemed to have worked it out between them. "Blair. Dan. Come here you two." he said calmly putting the paper down.

The two boys looked at each other, both paling a bit. They got up and walked slowly over to where Jim was sitting in the chair. Jim didn't say another word and pointed at the couch, indicating that the boys should sit. He sat there looking at them for five minutes till the boys began to squirm.

"Now I came home tonight and I could hear you two arguing before…_before_ I even got out of the truck and when I got up here, I could hear you two plain as day as I'm sure the people below us could. When I walked through the door, I had to grab something that came flying at me. I think these belong to you Dan." Jim said calmly as he tossed the keys to the teen.

Dan grabbed the keys and nodded his thanks not sure if he should say anything at the moment. He pushed his glasses, which had slid down his nose back up and waited to hear what else was going to be said. He knew Jim was far from done.

"I know that you two have worked out what you two were arguing about with each other, but now you two have to work this out with me. I'm glad that you two didn't end up in a fight over this, though I don't approve of you throwing your keys Daniel." Jim said as he gave a pointed look at Dan.

Dan ducked his head and nodded at the reprimand. "I did apologize, and well like I told Blair at least I threw something that wouldn't break. I am sorry that they flew at you Jim." Dan apologized softly. He looked up hoping to find forgiveness.

Jim softened his glare for a moment to give Dan the forgiving look he was seeking and then glared at the two again. "I'll let it go this time you two, but if I ever come home to you two arguing that loudly again, we're going to have problems and we're going to have even bigger problems if I ever come home to you to fighting. Understand?" Jim asked as he let his glare settle on each boy for a moment.

Dan and Blair both nodded immediately, they didn't ask what the bigger problems would be, for both had their own ideas of what would happen. They sat on the couch not sure if they should get up, or if they were allowed for that matter.

"Go on get out of here." Jim said waving his hand at them. He watched as they both bolted from the couch and into Blair's room. He chuckled softly and flicked on the television.

Blair eased into the chair at his desk, while Dan settled himself on the bed. "Oh man, I thought Jim was gonna have our butts right there. I can't believe your keys almost hit him." Blair said as he leaned back in the chair.

"I can't either. I never realized how tolerant Jim is. Ben would've decided that I needed an attitude adjustment if I had done that to him. Of course the keys probably would've hit him instead of him catching them." Dan said as he lay back on Blair's bed and rolled to his side to look at Blair.

Silence filled the room for a few moments, then Dan sat up and asked, "Hey Doc, if I tell you something, you'll keep it between us, won't you?" His chocolate eyes searching his friend.

"Of course Bear." Blair responded immediately.

Dan shook his head and said, "Blair I'm dead serious. I want you to promise that what I tell you will stay between us." The look on the teen's face was still as serious as it was before no hint of a joke or humor in his voice at all.

Blair's eyes widened when Dan didn't use his nickname and said, " I promise Bear you can trust me. I won't say anything to anyone." He held hid friend's gaze wondering what he was about to reveal.

"Not even to Jim?" Dan asked raising an eyebrow.

"No, not even Jim." Blair admitted reluctantly.

"I'm sorry Doc, I know you don't like keeping stuff from him, but it's really important that he doesn't find out. I'm gonna try to find out where my mom and the kids are. I need to know if they're okay." Dan said as he sympathized with his friend.

"Are you out of your mind? When do you plan on doing this?" Blair asked in a hushed voice. He hoped that Jim wasn't paying attention to them at the moment so that he had at least a chance to talk his friend out of this idea.

"In two or three days. I thought I'd sneak out after Jim went to sleep. I mean I already sleep on the couch, so I would be able to get out quickly. I'm not crazy Doc, I need to find them." Dan said as he lowered his voice as well.

"I'm not hearing this. Dan how many times do I have to tell you that Jim is a sentinel. He'll know the minute you leave the loft. He can probably hear us talking right now." Blair told him and turned towards his desk.

"I don't think so Doc. I think if he had he would've came in here by now." Dan said, though there was uncertainty in his tone. He watched Blair take a notebook out of a drawer and begin to furiously write in it. "What are you doing Doc?" Dan asked as a cold shiver ran through him.

"It's personal Bear. I don't let anyone read this." Blair said softly. He wrote in the book a few more minutes and then slid the book back in the drawer. He turned and face Dan again and said, "I really hope you know what you're doing Bear, I really do because you're gonna have to explain it to Jim when he gets a hold of you."

Dan sighed softly at Blair's words. Doc's right. Jim is not going to be pleased with me at all, and Ben he'll… I don't want to even think about what he'll do. I have to do this though, I just have to find them.

Blair watched his friend and saw the slight shudder run through Dan's body. He wondered what he was thinking about and then saw the determined look. He hoped Dan would come to his senses before he went through with his plan.

Jim had heard the elevated heartbeats and could tell by one of them someone was scared of something. He hadn't heard any arguing or shouting, so he figured they weren't fighting. He did hear the sound of someone writing and then the panicked heartbeat again. It evened out again after a moment or two and Jim wasn't sure what to do.

The door to Blair's room opened a few minutes later and Blair came out with a small grin on his face. He walked over to the kitchen and rooted through the fridge till he came out with two small containers. He looked at Jim as he shut the fridge door with his hip, held up the two containers and said, " We need a snack."

Jim raised an eyebrow and asked, "Dan's actually going to eat that stuff?" He nodded towards the containers.

"Nah, the other one has fruit in it. When I asked him if he wanted some dried locusts, he gave me the same look you always give me." Blair said and then grinned at Jim before going back into his room.

Jim shook his head at Blair's retreating back and went back to watching the television. The sound was almost completely muted, but not because Jim was trying to listen to the boys, he just simply didn't need the sound up that loud unless Blair's was out there with him.

It had been hours since Jim had heard a sound from Blair's room. He turned his hearing up a bit and could hear the slow thudding of their hearts. He got up and walked to Blair's door, knocked and waited a few minutes. When he wasn't invited in, he opened the door and smiled at the two boys. Dan was sprawled across Blair's bed, his glasses askew on his face and Blair was sitting in his chair at the desk bent at his chest his head resting on his crossed arms. His head was turned away from the door so that Jim couldn't see his face.

Jim walked over to Dan first and removed the glasses gently from the teen's face. He saw Dan's eyes flutter for a moment, then the teen turned, curled on his side and fell back into a deep sleep. Jim smiled and brushed his hand over Dan's hair. He looked over towards his sleeping pup and decided he couldn't leave Dan where he lay for the night. He leaned down and scooped the slumbering teen in his arms like he would a baby. Dan's head lay on Jim's shoulder, his breath came out in small puffs and warmed Jim's neck. He carried the teen out into the living room, laid him on the couch, went back to Blair's room for the extra pillow and blanket, then walked back out to where Dan lay, lifted the teen's head and guided the pillow down so that it would support both Dan's neck and his head. He took Dan's boots off next, set them on the side of the couch, stood up, tucked the blanket around the teen and set his glasses on the table.

Dan shifted a little as the blanket formed against his body and sighed contentedly as he snuggled deeper under the blanket.

Jim headed back to Blair's room and stared at the sleeping teenager a moment trying to figure out how to lift him without actually waking him. Finally he got an idea and he was grateful that the chair Blair sat in had rollers on it. He scooted the chair back with his foot making it so just Blair's arms and head lay on the desk, then he reached under with his right arm and supported Blair's chest and gently began to lift him. Jim felt the chair begin to move a bit and stopped the motion with his foot. He moved his left arm behind Blair to support the teen's head in the crook of his arm and then reached down and slid his right arm behind Blair's knees. He moved his foot and scooted the chair back at the same time to lift Blair and not bump the teen into anything.

The teen's head lolled gently onto Jim's shoulder as his guardian moved him slowly upwards to get a better grip on the teen. Once secure and comfortable in Jim's arms, Blair shifted a little, curled his fingers, lightly grasping Jim's shirt and sighed contentedly in his sleep.

A smile appeared on Jim's face at the gesture as he walked over to Blair's bed. He sat down in the middle of the bed, sat Blair on his lap, peeled back the blankets, then lifted Blair as he got up and settled Blair in bed on his side. He watched as Blair rolled over to sleep on his stomach, before pulling the blankets up. "Goodnight pup." Jim whispered softly as he ran his hand over Blair's head and swept the curls away from the boy's face.

At the station the next afternoon Jim leaned back in his chair and smiled at what had happened earlier that morning. The confused looks on the boy's faces as Dan sat up on the couch and Blair came sleepily out of his room. The both of them trying to figure out how they had ended up where they woke up brought a low chuckle from Jim. He didn't notice the others in the bullpen looking up from what they were doing to watch the oblivious detective.

Jim began to frown when he thought about how odd the two boys started acting once they were more awake. They kept giving each other questioning looks and then they would turn to Jim and give him looks over worry or concern. Usually it was his pup giving him those looks. Dan would give Blair angry stares after one of his looks to Jim. He hoped he wouldn't be going home to another argument tonight.

He looked towards Simon's office a moment later after having that prickly sensation that he was being watched and sure enough, Simon was standing in his office window watching Jim. He gave a half grin at Simon before leaning his chair back up in the proper position and starting the paperwork for their last case.

"Doc you promised you weren't going to say anything." Dan said trying to keep his temper and trying to figure out what his friend was up to. He had seen the worried looks Blair had sent Jim all morning and saw the looks Jim was giving the both of them and hoped he didn't ask questions when he came home tonight.

"I did and I haven't said anything to him, but Bear I'm not sure how long I can go without telling him. It-it bothers me to keep stuff from him. You should know, don't you remember the last time I did?" Blair asked hoping his friend would understand his plight.

"Yeah I remember Doc. You almost made yourself sick with worry. I'm sorry I shouldn't have told you what I was going to do, that way you wouldn't know and wouldn't worry about me. Doc, you can't tell though. Please, not yet." Dan pleaded. He had seen what the effect were when Blair attempted to hide something from Jim. His friend would be come rather moody and then completely upset. He hoped to be gone tomorrow night before Blair got any worse.

Blair sighed and nodded. He wouldn't tell, not yet anyway, but he wondered how mad Jim would be at him when he found out and shuddered. I'd better not think about that anymore. The less I think about what Jim's gonna do to me when this whole thing comes out the better. Blair's thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly saw Dan getting ready to leave. "Hey where are you going?" He asked getting up from the table.

"I'm going out for a while and no you can't come this time Doc. I've got something to do today." Dan said as he put on his waistcoat. He left without a backwards glance to Blair.

Blair flopped down on the couch and sighed. The day had just started and he already had a bad feeling. He looked over at the kitchen and saw the dishes in the sink. A moment later Blair got up and walked into the small kitchen. Might as well do these. How am I gonna keep this from Jim? He always knows when something's bugging me and this time is no different. I can't lie to him, last time was awful and… Blair was silently crying by this time into the sink of dishes he had been washing. He slowly finished the dishes, tears still streaking down his face. Once done, Blair went upstairs and climbed into Jim's bed. He curled in the large bed and hugged Jim's pillow close to him as he cried himself to sleep.

Dan sat in his usual spot at the club and watched the door that led to the back. He sipped at the bottle of water he had in his hand and adjusted his glasses on his face though they really didn't need to be. When the door begin to open Dan stood quickly. He watched as the other members of his group came over to him and sat down. Dan sat once the others were sitting and waited anxiously for the verdict.

The young man to Dan's right spoke after a minute or so. "Daniel we have discussed your situation fully and we have decided that we will help you in any way that we can. I know that Robert and Christopher both have very good methods of finding out information. I myself will check with the people I know and we should let you know in two days." He said leaning back against the chair.

"Thank you Michael for all of your help." Dan said after a sigh of relief. He couldn't believe it. He was one step closer to finding his siblings. He stayed for a few more hours at the club discussing other things with his close group. Looking at the clock, Dan noticed it was an hour away from Jim arriving home. He wanted to be back in the loft by then so as to not arouse Jim's suspicion. Giving his goodbyes, Dan left and drove home.

When he entered the darkened loft, Dan was a bit worried at first. He thought that maybe Blair had left in search of him. He flipped on the main light and began to scan the kitchen area for a note of some sort explaining where his friend was. He was startled when he heard someone coming down the stairs a moment later. "Doc, you about gave me a heart attack buddy. I thought you weren't here. What were you doing upstairs in Jim's room?" Dan asked as he walked over to his friend.

Blair gave Dan a confused look as he began to rub the sleep from his eyes. Once the sleep finally cleared from his head, Blair sat at the kitchen table and looked at Dan. "Where did you go?" He asked his voice still sounding tired.

"I believe I asked you first Doc." Dan said as he settled himself in a chair across from his friend and gave Blair a look.

Blair almost answered, then shook his head and said, "I was just up there is all."

Dan thought a moment then nodded. "You were up there just like I was out somewhere. Let's just say that I'll hopefully have a solution to my problem by Thursday." He knew his logic would make sense to Blair.

The curly haired youth went into his room. He tried to think of a way to talk Dan out of going through with his mission. When Jim found out he was sure that Dan's butt would be toast. Blair wasn't sure about his own, but he was hopeful so far. Blair sat down at his desk pulled his private journal from its drawer and began to write.

Ten minutes later the door to the loft opened. Jim was curious about the conversation he had just caught the last little bit of. He wondered where both boys had been and just what problem Dan was having and how he was going to have it solved by Thursday. He sighed and looked around trying to determine where his little imps were. He saw Dan sitting in the kitchen, but didn't see Blair anywhere. He listened for his pup's heartbeat and found he was in his room.

Dan looked up startled when the loft door opened suddenly and Jim walked in. He looked at Jim and tried to figure out just how much the man had heard of their conversation. He gave a small smile and was greeted with a warm smile from Jim.

Jim walked over to Dan and patted the boy on the shoulder before speaking. "So how'd your day go Cub? I see the loft is still standing, so I'm assuming you two behaved yourselves." Jim teased lightly. He was rewarded with a soft chuckle.

"We didn't really do much of anything. I went to the club and Doc stayed here. We really haven't done much together today. Doc's been in his room for the past few minutes." Dan said. He didn't lie about where he had been, seeing as he was allowed to go. The reason for going didn't need to be revealed since Jim hadn't asked.

Jim nodded and thought about Dan's statement a moment. "Hey Cub, why didn't Blair go with you? I know he's usually begging to go." He asked as he turned to get stuff out of the fridge to make dinner.

Dan shrugged and said, "I'm not sure. I guess he wasn't in the mood to go this time."

There was something going on, Jim was sure of that but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was at the moment He looked towards Blair's room and wondered why his pup hadn't come to greet him yet. "Did Blair say anything about something being wrong when you came home? He's usually out here by now."

Blair had heard Jim come home and had started to get up to go see him, but stopped when he heard him talking to Dan. He knew he shouldn't but he sat back down and listened to Dan and Jim talk. When he heard Dan tell Jim that he wasn't sure why Blair didn't go with him to the club, Blair had to mentally start chanting to keep himself from getting upset. He heard Jim coming towards his room and started writing again.

Jim knocked slightly on Blair's door, and heard the soft call bidding him to enter. He went in, shut the door behind him and stood there staring at his pup for a moment. "What's wrong kiddo? And don't say nothing, cause I know something's bothering you." Jim said as he moved closer. He watched as Blair slid the book he'd been writing in back into its drawer and turned to look at him.

"There is but I can't say." Blair said as he stared down at his desk. He reached a hand up pushed it along the side of his head and scratched the back of his head lightly. When he guided his hand back forward again he deliberately brought his hair with it shielding the side view of his face with it.

A sigh emitted from the man as he watched the teen's deliberate movement. He walked over to Blair, swept the hair away from the teen's face and said, "Chief, look at me." When he saw the negative head shake and smelled the tears, he cupped his hand under Blair's chin and turned his head till he was facing Jim. "Blair, Why can't you tell me what's bothering you? Talk to me kiddo."

"I-I can't Jim. I pro-promised not to s-say anything." Blair said his voice hitching and breaking. His eyes filled with tears and spilled over down his cheeks and Jim's hand.

Concern filled the pale blue eyes as he pulled Blair up, wrapped his arms around his trembling pup and did his best to console him. The curly head beneath his chin burrowed itself closer into his neck and he could feel the warm breath coming out in jagged spurts. Jim rubbed his hand soothingly over Blair's shoulders trying to calm the distressed teen. "Shh, everything's gonna be fine Chief, shh." Jim said.

The tears began to finally ebb and the sobs turned to soft-hiccupped gulps. The distressed heartbeat began to slow and became a very low thudding as a soft sigh was heard. Blair snuggled closer to Jim. He moved his head closer to the hand that was gently gliding through his curls. When his cheek made contact with one of Jim's fingers, he felt Jim's hand shift and gently glide over his cheek.

"How you doin' Chief? Feelin' any better?" Jim asked a few minutes later and felt a nod against him. He stroked Blair's cheek a few more times, then gently held Blair away from him. He looked at Blair's red, tearstained face and smiled. "It's gonna be okay Chief. Why don't you head to the bathroom and clean yourself up a bit, and I'll order us something for dinner. How does Chinese sound?"

Blair sniffed and nodded. "Sounds good Jim." He said softly then went to walk past Jim to head to the bathroom. He stopped when Jim put a hand on his shoulder.

"Blair, remember if you need to talk to me about anything I'm hear to listen." Jim said as he moved his hand down and rubbed Blair's upper arm.

"I know Jim, thanks." He turned and smiled a little at Jim before shrugging Jim's hand off and leaving his room. When he walked out into the rest of the loft, he caught the curious look Dan was giving him, before turning and walking down the short hallway to the bathroom.

Dan watched Jim come from Blair's room a few minutes later. He was surprised when he didn't get any questioning looks from the man only if Chinese food was okay with him, which of course it was.

The loft was dark, dinner having been done and over with for hours and everyone was asleep. A sharp ringing woke the sentinel's slumber. He blinked and looked at the digital clock by his bed. It took his eyes a few minutes to adjust, till he finally noticed the time was close to two in the morning. He got up and peered over the railing at the rest of the loft. He didn't see anything at first and turned to head back to bed when his ears caught a very soft conversation taking place. He couldn't hear the conversation, but decided to go see which of his little imps were up.

"That's great Michael. I was a little shocked that you would call so late to tell me. Yes I understand. Thanks, bye." Dan finished his quiet conversation in a small space under the breakfast bar. When he crawled out from his hiding spot, he saw a pair of bare feet in front of him. He looked up from being on his hands and knees still and into the eyes of one annoyed adult. "H-hi Jim." He said nervously, hoping the man hadn't heard any of his conversation.

Jim raised an eyebrow at the teen at his feet. "Hi yourself. What are you doing up and who was that on the phone?" He watched as Dan went from blushing crimson, to pale. He grew concerned and helped the teen up from the floor. "Was it bad news kiddo?"

When Dan was standing he stared at Jim for a few minutes trying to figure out the best way to answer the man's question. "I…it uhm." Dan couldn't think of anything that would remotely keep himself out of trouble.

A large hand was placed over the stammering boy's mouth. "Shh, I won't ask anymore, just go back to bed Cub. We'll talk about it in the morning." Jim picked up the phone from where it still lay on the floor and set it back on the charger. Next he helped Dan back to the couch and settled him back under the covers. "Night Cub." Jim said ruffling the teen's hair and heading back up the steps to bed.

Dan growled a little when his hair was mussed. He didn't see why Jim insisted on doing that to him all the time. He laid quietly for a long time feigning sleep. He kept his breathing slow and steady and hoped his heartbeat sounded like it did when he was asleep. Finally after about an hour, he got up and slipped quietly into Blair's room. He grabbed his clothes from his bag and made a quick retreat to the bathroom. He emerged a few moments later dressed properly. Dan wondered if he should grab anything, then decided not to. He left the building and headed to his car, then stopped when he got to it. I can't use my car to get to the club, Jim'll hear me start it for sure. Guess I'm walking. He thought to himself with a sigh.

Officer Gary Stephens was on duty that night patrolling the area. He sighed as he pulled over to sit and watch an area for a few minutes. He was about to pull away a short while later when he saw a very well dressed young man walking down the street. When he checked the time and saw that it was close to three-thirty, he got out and called to the young gentleman as he strode forward hoping to catch up with him, "Excuse me sir. You really shouldn't be out here this late. I…you're a kid! Ok sport come on back to the car with me." He said tugging on Dan's arm expecting the teen to follow.

"What? No way, I've got to be somewhere in a few minutes." Dan said quickly removing his arm from the officer's light grip. He turned and headed in the direction of the club again. He was startled by the hard grip to his shoulder a moment later. He turned and glared angrily at the officer and snapped at him. "Excuse me, I thought I told you I had somewhere to be."

A little shocked at the temper being thrown at him, Officer Stephens gripped the teen tighter and scrutinized him a little more. "Hey you're the one Detective Ellison has staying with him aren't you? Does he let you get away with that kind of talk with him? I'm betting he doesn't. Let's go find out." He steered Dan to the car and put him in the back seat. When he got into the front he turned and said, "Now I was gonna let you ride up here with me, but with that attitude you have now I think I'm better off wit you back there so you can't go anywhere. Oh boy I can't wait to hear what Jim thinks of this."

Dan swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. Jim was going to kill him. Once the whole story came out he was going to kill him. He began to try to figure out where his whole plan went wrong. It hit him a moment later, the glance Blair had given him when he had left his room earlier. His best friend had ratted him out. Jim must've called the station after ordering the take out and asked that the area around the club have a watch on it. I can't believe Doc did this to me. He ratted me out. I can't trust him to keep anymore promises or anything else.

When they arrived at the apartment building, Officer Stephens was a little surprised at the compliant young man now in his grasp. They rode up in the elevator silently and when they got to the loft door, Dan was shaking slightly. Officer Stephens rapped on the door and waited.

Upstairs in the loft, Jim groaned at the knock. He stared bleary eyed at the clock and wished the numbers made sense. He heard the knock a little more insistent this time and wondered why Dan hadn't come up to get him yet. He looked at the clock again and finally could read the time. "Whoever's waking me at three-forty-five in the morning is gonna have a lot of explaining to do." Jim grumbled to himself as he put his robe on and cinched the belt.

Dan trembled as he heard Jim walking down the stairs and heading for the door. Had Officer Stephens' hand not been on his shoulder, he would've bolted. When the door opened he saw the sleepy yet annoyed look Jim had on his face, then that look became surprised and finally angry. He would've preferred one of the first three looks.

Jim looked at Dan a moment before uttering two words. "Inside. Now!" As Dan slunk past him he got a grip on the teen's arm before he could go anywhere else. Once Dan was in his grip, he looked at the officer still hovering in his doorway. He looked at him and asked, "Where did you find him?"

"He was down near that little coffee…"Officer Stephens stopped when Jim held up his hand.

"Wait I think I know exactly where you found him. He directed his question to Dan next. "You were going to the club, weren't you?" He looked and saw Dan nod his head. Jim nodded and said, "That's what I thought. Thanks for bringing him home Gary. Daniel and I are going to have a lengthy little chat about when and when not to leave the loft." Jim said, and then shut the door as soon as Officer Stephens turned to leave. He turned to Dan, released his arm and said angrily, "You. Upstairs. Now."

Dan took off the minute the words left Jim's mouth. He wasn't sure why Jim was sending him upstairs, but now wasn't the time to ask questions. He sat on Jim's bed once he got up the stairs and wiped his palms on his thighs. Jim is not happy with me at all. How could I have been so stupid? I should've waited. I was already pushing my luck with Michael's call. I should've waited till later tonight to try it instead of this morning. I wonder what he's gonna do to me? Dan shuddered at this thought. Probably the same thing Ben would do to me. I wonder what he's doing downstairs. Not that I care, I mean the longer he stays downstairs the safer I am up here.

Jim looked down at Blair as he slept and smiled. "I bet this is what you were told to keep from me huh pup. Here let me slip these on you, so you don't get startled when I have that discussion with Daniel." Jim said softly as he found Blair's portable cd player and slipped the headphones on the youngster's head and left. He headed upstairs next and saw Dan deep in thought on his bed. He laid a hand on Dan's shoulder letting the boy know he was there. He was startled when Dan jumped and yelped at the touch. "Easy Cub."

The use of his nickname calmed Dan and made him relax. He looked at Jim apprehensively and waited for the yelling to begin. He knew Blair would wake and hear everything. That thought alone made Dan shudder involuntary.

"Well kiddo, you ready to tell me what's going on now, or should I just put you over my knee and get the story that way?" Jim asked and noticed Dan wince at the words. "I hope you didn't think you weren't getting one."

"No sir, I figured I was going to get one. I-I guess I should start with the phone call. One of the guys from the club called to give me information that I had asked him for concerning something I was interested in, but said he would only give me the important details in person. That's why I was headed to the club, where the officer found me. I know I should've waited, but the information was important to me and I felt I had to have it right away. I-I'm sorry." Dan said in his polite calm voice as he hung his head at the end.

Jim sat down on the edge of the bed next to Dan and said, "Cub sit up and look at me." He waited for Dan to comply, then continued. "What information was so important that you decided a spanking was worth leaving the house after curfew to get?" Jim asked looking into Dan's watery brown eyes, then as if just noticing it, Jim slid the teen's glasses back into place and smoothed the hair from his eyes.

"I had asked for help at the club yesterday afternoon when I went and Michael called me telling me he had the information. I wanted to find my brothers and sister. I haven't s-seen them in over a y-year and I want to k-know if they're a-alright, that t-they aren't b-being m-mistreated. I m-miss them J-Jim especially m-my sis-sis-sister." Dan said his voice breaking at the end into a large sob.

"Shh it's alright Cub." Jim said softly as he pulled the sobbing teen onto his lap. He was surprised when Dan suddenly stiffened at being held. He ran his hand over the teen's back and began to murmur comforting words. Jim was relieved to feel Dan sink against him. He felt Dan begin to bury his face against his neck. He stopped him for only a moment, removed his glasses and then let the teen bury his face back against his neck. "Shh calm down little cub. It's gonna be alright." Jim said as he stroked Dan's hair and rubbed his back.

Oh God, it's been so long since I've been held like this. Where's my handkerchief? I must be getting snot all over him. I don't need him more upset with me. Dan loosened his hold around Jim's neck and began to search his front shirt pocket.

Jim was concerned when he felt Dan's arm leave his neck and then wondered at what the teen was doing when he leaned away and started searching for something. He watched as Dan pulled a pale blue handkerchief out of somewhere and began to wipe at Jim's neck, and then at his own nose while mumbling an apology.

Dan's eyes widened in fear as the handkerchief was plucked out of his hand and tossed aside. He stared at Jim and wondered what he had done wrong. "I-I sorry Jim, I didn't mean to…"He was stopped when a large hand covered his mouth.

"Stop apologizing Cub. What are you fussing with that dinky scrap of materiel for when you could use me. Blair seems to think I'm a large kleenex, why shouldn't you?" Jim asked and was glad to see the small smile from on Dan's face.

"You don't mind? I didn't want you to get upset at me for making a mess out of your shirt." Dan said as he stared at Jim.

"No kid I don't mind one bit. You're gonna be getting it messy again soon enough." Jim said as he watched Dan.

Catching the meaning to the statement, Dan squirmed a bit. When he realized that he was sitting on Jim's lap, he quickly tried to bolt off of him.

Jim caught the fleeing youngster and held him tightly, preventing escape of any kind.

"Hey let me up. I'm too old for such a thing!" Dan squawked trying to get up.

"Sit still. You may be but sit still anyways." Jim told him and silenced further protests with a firm pat to Dan's thigh. "I know that you think you're too old Cub, but who's to know but you and me right?" He said more gently when he still saw the look of horror on the teen's face.

"You and I, but yes I guess you're right. It still feels odd. Am I still in trouble?" Dan asked finally.

"Yes you are Cub, big time. We need to talk about why you're in trouble kiddo. Jim told him rubbing a hand up and down Dan's arm soothingly. He could feel Dan relaxing against him slowly.

"Didn't we just do that?" Dan asked as he leaned away and looked at Jim.

"No what we just did is establish why you felt it was necessary for you to break curfew early this morning. Now what you have to do is tell me why it was wrong." Jim explained.

"Oh, but doesn't why I did it count?" Dan asked hoping to find some way to get out of what was probably going to be a very painful punishment.

"It counts Bear cub, but you should've told me what you wanted to do. I would've helped you and I still will, but I won't tolerate you sneaking around Cub. Do you realize the danger you put yourself in by sneaking out this morning? Someone could have just come by and mugged you, you could've gotten shot in a drive by, someone could've knocked you out, grabbed you, shoved you in a car or a van and neither Blair, Ben or I would know where you went. Did even stop to think how Ben would've felt if I had to call him and tell him that you took upon yourself to leave the house in the middle of the night and now no one knows where you are?" Jim scolded. During the lecture Jim had moved Dan to the bed so they could face each other better.

Dan's chin was planted firmly against his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around his middle as he sobbed softly at Jim's words. He suddenly felt himself being gathered into strong arms once more. He unwrapped his arms from around himself and tightly clutched Jim's waist. He could feel Jim's strong hands petting his hair and rubbing his back and couldn't help melting against Jim's chest. His sobs begin to ebb slowly till he was doing nothing but sniffling a little.

Jim pulled out of the hug first and stared at the miserable teen a moment before he said, "Come on Bear cub, let's get this over and done with, so we can hopefully get a little more sleep. Does Ben have a certain way of doing it?" Jim asked wanting Dan to have a sense of familiarity around him.

"Yes, I'll show you." Dan said softly. He got up, looked around the room for a moment then leaned over the foot of Jim's bed. He gave Jim a mournful look and said, "The paddle is downstairs in my duffle bag. If you decide you want to use it on me. I'm ready." Dan whispered softly.

Jim heard the hollowness in Dan's voice and decided that he and Ben needed to have a talk, especially after watching and listening to Dan. He got up, walked over to Dan and laid a hand on the teen's quivering back. "Get up Bear cub. We're not going to do it like this." Jim said rubbing the teen's back gently.

Dan rose slowly and looked at Jim suspiciously. "Are-are you sure I can get up?" He asked hesitantly. He stepped back a little trying to have space for a moment. Dan crossed his arms around his middle when Jim reached for him and shook his head at the man. "Please not yet." Dan whispered softly as he took another step back.

"Hey calm down Cub. No Dan we're doing this now. " Jim told him as he took Dan's wrist and brought him over to the bed. Jim sat down and stood the teen at his right.

Dan stood staring at Jim, not quite sure what to do or what was about to happen. His eyes widened at Jim's command to drop his pants, but did as he was told. He was grateful that his shirt was long enough to cover the white cotton briefs he wore. When he was placed over Jim's lap, his heartbeat sped up. His upper body was resting comfortably on Jim's bed, while his feet were planted firmly on the floor.

He heard the small gasp from Dan as he pulled the teen's briefs down. Jim flipped the back of Dan's shirt up and rubbed Dan's back reassuringly. "Easy Cub…"He started but stopped when he heard the whispered plea.

"Please just get it over with." Dan's voice was muffled by his face being buried in his arms. He tensed when he felt Jim's hand on his back. The first swat had Dan stuffing his fist in his mouth to keep from screaming. He bit hard on his knuckle as the swats rained down. Tears flowed from his eyes and down his cheeks. He grunted softly, but made no other sound.

Jim was a bit surprised at Dan's quietness. He stopped mid air when he caught the scent of blood. He lifted Dan's head with the hand he had on the teen's back and saw the raw and bleeding knuckle Dan had been biting. "Stop. Get it out of your system Dan. No one is going to think less of you because you cry, especially me. No more of this." Jim told him and pointed at the wounded knuckle.

Tears were streaming from Dan's eyes but still he didn't make any noise. He nodded at Jim though and buried his head back in his arms. Sobs racked Dan's body as the swats rained down on his backside.

Jim paused for a moment and reached for the object on his nightstand. He laid the back of the brush on Dan's red bottom and said, "Dan I can't have you risking your life, you're too important to Ben, you're too important to Blair and you are too important too me." He cracked the brush down and elicited a strangled yelp from the sobbing teen. He landed a dozen swats to the center of Dan's bottom, then raised his right leg exposing the unspanked skin of Dan's undercurve and sit spot.

Dan's eyes flew open at the first swat to the tender area. At the second swat, Dan's hand flew back to protect the burning flesh. He suddenly drew his hand back in front of him and started muttering something between his sobs.

Jim was surprised for a moment by Dan's retraction of his hand, but continued with the spanking. He landed eight more swats to Dan's sit spot four to each side and stopped. "Come on kiddo, take it easy. Shh, come on now deep breaths, Bear cub. There you go come on, take another deep breath Bear cub." Jim said gently. He lifted the teen, replaced his clothes, held him as he rubbed his back and spoke softly.

Dan laid his head against Jim's neck for a moment or two, relaxing at the gentle touch and the tender words being whispered. Once he realized where he was and what he was doing. He went to jump up as he said, "I'm sorry. I'll go downstairs and go to bed." His cheeks were bright red as he tried to escape from Jim's lap.

"Shh what are you talking about? I'm not gonna make you go downstairs kiddo, not yet." Jim asked pulling Dan closer and stroking the boy's hair.

"Why not? Did I do something else wrong?" Dan asked. He was quiet for a minute, then realization appeared on his face. "Oh, when I reached back. I'm sorry for that." Dan said as he held out his hand.

Concern filled the pale blue eyes as he saw Dan's hand go up. "What are you doing Bear cub?" Jim asked as he took the teen's hand in his.

"It's so you can use the brush on my hand, for reaching back." Dan explained.

"I'm not going to do that kiddo. You couldn't help it. It a natural reaction and you're not going to be punished further for it." Jim said as he pushed Dan's hand back towards the teen. He pulled the teen close, began to stroke his back and said, "As for why I'm not making you go downstairs yet…I want to make sure you're alright and to let you know you're forgiven. Doesn't Ben do this for you?" Jim had a feeling he knew the answer even when he asked the question.

"No, he just tells me we're done and then he goes back downstairs. Is this how it is with you and Doc?" Dan asked after a few minutes. He leaned against Jim again, moving his head towards Jim's hand.

"Yeah, and this is over with now. You're forgiven and you don't have to apologize to me about it anymore. I'll stay with you as long as you want me to." Jim told him as he pulled Dan close and stroked the teen's soft, straight jet-black hair. He planned on having a long talk with Ben when he came back.

Dan laid against Jim and couldn't help yawning. He didn't mind the gentle caresses to his head and closed his eyes in response. He shifted a little and yelped as his bottom came in contact with Jim's thigh. He quickly moved to take the pressure off his burning bottom. I definitely need to get the aloe back. There is no way I'm gonna be comfortable without it. Dan's thoughts begin to jumble as he fell asleep without knowing it.

Jim swept his hand through the teen's black hair once more before he gathered the teen in his arms, stood up, picked up Dan's glasses from the bed, walked carefully downstairs pulled back the covers and expertly laid the boy on the couch on his stomach. He put Dan's glasses on the coffee table where the teen would be able to see them when he woke up, then slipped Dan's boots off and removed the boy's slacks. He laid them over the back of the couch, covered the sleeping teen with a light quilt, then finally turned and headed into Blair's room to check on his sleeping pup once more, before going upstairs to bed. He chuckled softly when he saw how his pup was sleeping. The blankets were twisted around his legs, he was now on his stomach, one arm was under the pillow and his other arm was across his back and his hand was resting on his backside. Jim carefully untwisted the blankets from around Blair's legs, moved the teen's arm to a more comfortable angle, draped the blankets over the sleeping boy and then carefully removed the headphones.

Blair grunted a little after the blankets settled over him and snuggled under the blankets a little more, and then opened one eye sleepily when he felt something brush lightly against his face. "Hi Jim," he said sleepily and smiled a little. "Is it time to get up?"

Jim smiled at Blair and said, "No pup go on back to sleep, we've still got a few hours till morning." He brushed the curls away from Blair's face and patted the boy's cheek gently. He watched as Blair smiled again, then burrowed deeper under the covers and went back to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

The aroma of fresh brewed coffee caressed Jim's sense of smell a few hours later after he'd gone to bed. He groaned as he looked at the numbers on his clock and saw that it read seven thirty. Three and a half hours he'd been asleep, since Dan was brought home and dealt with. Knowing Dan wouldn't appreciate a morning wake up call from his friend at the moment, Jim got out of bed, put his robe on, cinched the belt and ambled downstairs. The sight of Blair bouncing around the kitchen and humming to himself as he made breakfast put a smile on Jim's face and made him glad he had slipped the headphones on the teen early this morning. He walked around the couch and sat on the coffee table in front of the sleeping teenager still there and rubbed the boy's arm gently. "Hey kiddo, time to get up. Come on Bear cub." Jim said gently as he tried to rouse the teen.

Dan groaned, raised his head and stared sleepily at Jim for a moment before putting his head back down turning it to face away from Jim and promptly went back to sleep. As he drifted back to sleep he heard a low rumbling noise, and dismissed it as sleep completely over took him.

Jim had chuckled lowly at Dan's actions at being awakened so early. He tried once more to wake the teen from his deep slumber. He ran his hand over Dan's back and hovered it for a second of the teen's bottom and could feel the heat still coming off of it. Jim winced a little knowing how sore Dan would be when he was fully awake. He shook Dan gently and said, "Cub get up come on. Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes. You don't want it to get cold do you?"

"Go 'way!" Dan growled when he was awakened the second time. He didn't know why Jim was so insistent that he get up now when Blair could get him up well after Jim was gone. He turned his head to face Jim and glared at the man hoping he got the hint this time.

Pale blue eyes stared into the chocolate brown eyes for a few minutes, and then Jim spoke dangerously low so only Dan would hear him. "I would watch my tone, if I were you Bear cub. I don't think that backside of yours is up to anymore attention is it?" Jim raised his hand slightly over Dan's bottom and darted a glance towards Blair to make sure his pup wasn't paying attention. He grinned when he saw Blair's backside up in the air as he looked in the fridge for something. He turned his attention back to Dan and waited for the teen's answer.

Dan's eyes widened at the mild threat. He looked back and saw Jim's hand hovering over his backside. Not wanting the pain reawakened just yet, Dan carefully rolled to his side his backside facing the couch and away from Jim's heavy hand. "I-I'm sorry I was grouchy, but I'm tired Jim. Why are you waking me up?" Dan asked confused at Jim's actions.

Jim lowered his hand at the question. He reached up, smoothed the jet-black hair from the boy's face and just stared at him for a moment. "I'm sorry cub but if you hadn't had a late night excursion wouldn't you be getting up about now?" Jim asked knowing Dan wasn't going to like where it led.

"Well yeah. I probably would've already been up by now. Why?" Dan wasn't sure where Jim was going with this and began to sit up only to pause when his backside throbbed at being brushed against the couch. He lay back down with a sigh and waited to see what Jim had to say.

"Well that's why I'm getting you up. I'm not going to let you sleep the day away. Now come on get up." Jim said standing and reaching out a hand to help the teen up.

Dan shook his head at the offered hand. " I can do it thanks." He put one leg down on the floor, used his hands to push himself up while putting his other leg down and finally standing up. He hissed softly as the throb in his backside became worse with the movement.

Jim leaned down to pick up one of the small pillows that decorated the couch and noticed one was missing. He shrugged and picked up the remaining pillow and headed to the small area they used as a dining room. He pulled the chair that Dan normally sat in out and stared at the lost pillow on the seat of the chair. He looked up and saw Blair busy putting the last of the pancakes on a platter and dumping the sausage on a separate plate. He could hear the kid's heart beating a little faster than normal. Dmn the kid knows, but how'd he find out? Jim pondered over the thought for a minute then decided to leave it alone for the moment. He'd find out later how his pup knew.

Realizing his state of dress for the first time, Dan went quickly into Blair's room, took his shirt off in favor of a t-shirt and then slipped his robe on. He sat down on Blair's bed and immediately stood up, his hands immediately going back to rub his sore bottom. He stopped after the first rub, as he realized he was making the burn more intense then dulling it.

"Blair go see what's taking Dan so long in your room. I'll keep an eye on your breakfast." Jim said as he looked towards Blair's room and sniffing the air every so often. He took Blair's place at the oven and watched his pup go towards the bedroom.

"Sure thing Jim." Blair said as he walked placidly towards his room with a huge grin on his face. When he opened the door to his room though, his smile faded evaporated faster than a drop of water on a hot skillet as he saw the despondent way his friend was standing in his room. " Bear? What's wrong?" Blair asked as he stepped into the room more.

Dan looked at Blair for a moment, and then walked past his friend without saying anything. He walked out and over to the dining area just as Jim was sitting down. When he pulled the chair out and saw the pillow, he sighed with relief and sat gingerly on the pillow gasping when his bottom came in contact with the material. It hurt and sitting was out of the question till he got a hold of the aloe. He knew he'd have to sit though and eat and desperately hoped no one would mind if he scarfed the food down, and didn't say anything.

Jim watched as Dan came from the room and sat at the table, then turned his attentions to his pup when he came from his room and saw the confusion and hurt on the teen's face. He watched as Blair gave Dan another wounded look before going over to the kitchen and began to pick up the plates of food.

Blair balanced the plates in his hands and quickly set them down on the table before he dropped them. He went over to the fridge and took out the juice and syrup, and then sat down. He helped himself to the food and paid no mind to the look he was getting from his guardian. Blair looked up slightly at his friend trying to judge his mood, but Dan's face was blank and unreadable at the moment except for the winces of pain every now and then.

Breakfast was silent, except for the clattering of silverware as the food was eaten. Jim looked between the two unusually silent teens and wondered what had caused Dan to give Blair the cold shoulder this morning. He was about to say something when he happened to glance at the time, and saw that he had to leave if he wanted to be on time. He got up and put his plate in the sink, then suddenly realized that he was still in his nightclothes. He sighed, went upstairs and changed quickly. He hurried down the stairs and turned to the two teens once more. "Hey guys I have to leave for the station. Clean the table, do the dishes while I'm gone and behave yourselves." Jim told them. He gave Dan a pointed look when he put his coat on and saw the teen nod slightly conveying that the silent message had been received.

Blair stared at the loft door for a moment, then turned to his friend. "Bear, did I do something wrong? Why are you mad at me? What did I do?" Blair finally asked as he watched his friend finish off his last bite of pancake and stand immediately. Blair had only eaten half his breakfast and then wasn't able to eat anymore. He picked his plate up and scraped the rest in the trash.

Dan's head shot up at the questions and he glared at his friend. "You broke your promise to me Blair. I thought a promise meant something to you, but obviously I guess it doesn't. Don't call me Bear anymore, either." Dan said the coldness and bluntness of his voice filling the loft.

"I-I didn't break my pro…"Blair started but was immediately cut off by Dan's shout.

"LIAR! Why else would Jim have had an officer waiting near the club for me this morning? When Jim came into your room the other day you two were in there a long time. I saw the look you gave me when you finally came out, but Jim didn't say anything except ask me if Chinese food was ok for dinner. I really thought you'd keep your promise Blair, especially after I kept my promise not to say anything to anybody about the time you stole that microscope. I guess I'm the only one here right now that knows how to keep a promise." Dan retorted.

Anger flashed in Blair's dark blue eyes, even as they filled with tears. "I'm not lying. Yeah I was upset when I left the room that night and yeah I thought about telling Jim, but I didn't. I don't know why there was an officer there this morning; he was probably just checking the area. They do patrol certain areas, but I did keep my promise." Blair said tersely through clenched teeth. He brushed away the tears that were spilling down his cheeks.

"You had to have said something, otherwise Jim wouldn't have had one of his cop friends waiting for me when I WAS ALMOST AT THE CLUB BLAIR!" Dan said not realizing that he had begun to shout.

"OH, SO JUST BECAUSE A CASCADE POLICE OFFICER BROUGHT YOU BACK, YOU AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME THAT I SNITCHED ON YOU! I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING TO HIM, BUT NOW I GUESS I SHOULD HAVE SINCE YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME!" Blair shouted back.

The teens had moved to the living room at this point. Neither heard the footsteps thundering up the last flight of stairs. Dan advanced on Blair and Blair stood his ground. The teens stood staring at each other for a moment, then Dan brought his hand up and shoved Blair back a bit. Blair lost all rational thought as he brought a fist up and slammed it along the right side of Dan's face. The next few minutes were a blur until Jim burst through the door, ran over to the wrestling teenagers and dragged them away from each other by the scruffs of their necks. "Knock it off you two!" Jim shouted as he shook both boys to get their attention. A stray punch caught Jim on the left cheek. He shook the teens a second time and bellowed, "I said KNOCK IT OFF!!!"

Blair and Dan froze and looked at Jim. They shrank back at the look they were being given and both tried to squirm out of Jim's grasp.

Jim began to loosen his hold on Blair first. He began to massage the spot he had been gripping and felt Blair relax. He moved his hand away, only to grip Blair's shoulder lightly a moment later. " No Chief you stay here." Jim said calmly as Blair had started to head to his room. When he was sure Blair wouldn't move, he turned his attention to Dan. He turned the boy to the side and landed five hard swats to the center of Dan's bottom.

Dan grabbed his glasses as the slipped off his face with the first swat. He tried to blink back the tears as he bit his bottom lip to keep from crying out at the next four swats that followed and burned intensely on his already spanked backside. When the last swat landed he was turned and facing a very angry sentinel. His eyes widened at Jim's angry face.

"Go upstairs and wait for me." Jim said as he turned Dan to face the stairs and sent him towards them with another hard swat to his backside. Once Dan had made it to the top and was out of sight, Jim turned to his own little miscreant. His heart softened when he saw he was facing Blair's stiff back and realized that Blair was waiting for the same treatment.

Blair felt Jim move behind him and waited with closed eyes and clenched fists. His eyes opened wide as he felt himself turned and pulled into a warm embrace. He relaxed against Jim as the large hands rubbed soothingly up and down his back.

"Come on Chief, let's go in your room." Jim said as he turned Blair and led him towards his room. He nudged Blair ahead of him into the room and shut the door behind him. He sat down on Blair's bed and looked up at Blair, who was standing next to him. "Sit down Chief, we have to talk." Jim said patting the bed next to him.

Blair sat and sighed softly. "Jim, I'm sorry I…" Blair started, but Jim put his hand over Blair's mouth and stopped him.

"Let me talk first, alright Junior?" Jim said, and then took his hand away when Blair nodded. "Ok kiddo, remember our talk a couple days ago about you two not getting into a fight or we'd have even bigger problems."

Blair nodded, his heart sinking as he realized that this conversation wasn't going the way he had hoped it would. "I know Jim. I-I wasn't thinking. Jim, do you really have to spank me?" Blair asked as his breathing increased.

Jim slid his arm around Blair's shoulders and said, "Yes Blair I have to. Do you understand why?"

"I think so Jim. It's because I should've walked away from him instead of letting him provoke me. Right?" Blair asked as he turned his teary dark blue eyes towards Jim. All I can pray for now is that Jim won't use that horrible hairbrush.

"Yeah kiddo, that's right. Come on up you get." Jim said as he patted Blair on the arm and gave him a little nudge up. He grew concerned when he saw Blair look up at him pleadingly and then look away. "Chief, what's wrong?" He asked lightly touching Blair's arm. I thought we had gotten past this. I thought he'd finally realized I would never beat him.

"Jim, are you gonna use…"Blair paused and swallowed hard before continuing, "Are you gonna use the brush."

The last two words came out so soft, that Jim had to raise his hearing a notch just to hear the words. "No Blair, I'm not gonna use it. This wasn't that serious, but I might use it if you two decide to get into another fight."

Tears filled Blair's dark blue eyes at the words as he reached for the button of his jeans, then stopped, looked at Jim and asked, "Jim why did you swat Dan and not me?" That little fact had still been bugging him, but wasn't sure why.

Jim stared at his child a moment and thought about the question. "Well pup, I swatted Dan because he instigated the fight." Jim finally said.

Blair cocked his head to the side and said, "Jim I started it. I landed the first punch not Dan. Are you sure that's the real reason?"

A small chuckle escaped Jim's lips. "Hey who's the parent here Junior? I guess the real reason is that he hurt you Chief. He hurt your feelings and he had no real cause to treat you the way he did." Jim finally admitted.

"He thought I broke my promise Jim. I would've been just as upset with him. Please don't be upset with him because of it." Blair pleaded. He stood a few more minutes not wanting to finish this discussion, then reached for the button on his jeans again. He was stopped this time by Jim's hand on his.

"You can leave them up Chief." Jim said as he pulled Blair over his lap. He felt Blair immediately stiffen. He laid his left hand on the small of Blair's back and rubbed it briefly. He raised his right hand and landed the first swat directly to the center of Blair's jean covered butt. "I won't tolerate fighting pup."

"I'm s-sorry Jim." Blair said and then yelped loudly as the next was delivered directly below the first one. His jeans weren't providing the protection that he had hoped they would.

Jim landed a dozen swift, hard, swats to the teen's backside leaving Blair gasping and sobbing . "Okay pup we're done." Jim said using the same hand he had just used to punish his child with began to tenderly rub the teen's back to calm and comfort him.

Once Blair could breathe properly, he sprang from Jim's lap and whimpered a bit as he tried to rub the sting from his aching hindquarters.

Jim stood and captured his whimpering pup in a warm embrace. "Shh, settle down pup. All is forgiven. I also went easy on you kiddo." He said as he tried to comfort his hurting youngster.

Blair sniffed loudly as he soaked in Jim's comfort for a moment, but then at Jim' words, Blair broke away from the embrace, gave Jim and incredulous look and said, "That was easy? That wasn't easy, that hurt. Easy would've been five swats."

Jim chuckled and said, "It's supposed to hurt Junior, that's why it's called punishment. I did take it easy on you, I only gave you twelve swats."

A small smile graced the teen's face as he finally nodded at Jim's words. Blair leaned against Jim, laying his head on the older man's shoulder and sighed as he felt Jim's arms wrap around him.

He tightened his arms around his young pup and savored the relaxing moment a bit longer before reluctantly releasing Blair. "I've still got Dan to deal with kiddo. Why don't you put some of your music on?" Jim said hoping Blair would so it would drown out the noise a little.

"Sure Jim, I think I have the one I like the best in my cd player. I'll just put the headphones on and uhm do some stuff in here." Blair said knowing why Jim wanted him to listen to the music.

Jim smiled, patted Blair on the arm and said, "That sounds good Chief." He ruffled Blair's curls and then left Blair's room, closed the door and headed upstairs to his other little miscreant.

Dan heard Jim's footsteps as they landed on each step and shivered with each one. He continued to pace the room as Jim got closer then unconsciously reached back to rub his backside and stopped when his hand came in contact with his already sore bottom God, why did I have to be so stupid. I should've never of got into that fight with Doc. I shouldn't have been mean to Doc either, he'd never turn on me like I said he did. I wonder how bad it's going to be this time. His last thought was when Jim reached the top of the steps and towered over Dan by a couple of inches. Dan stood there trembling and waiting for Jim to announce his fate.

Jim saw the fear in the youth's eyes and pulled him into a reassuring hug for a moment. "Shh it's not going to be that bad kiddo." Jim said trying to reassure the trembling teen.

"Yes it is. I'm still sore from this morning Jim. Please don't, please." Dan pleaded, his eyes tearing up at the thought of being spanked on top of his already burning bottom. He began to sob softly against Jim's chest.

"This morning, you thought that your friend had ratted you out, so you decided that instead of talking it out and finding out exactly what happened this morning when he came into the room to get you, you'd make sure he was as miserable as you. You gave him the cold shoulder while I was here, but then when I left, he tried to talk to you and find out what was going on, you tore into him like a rampaging bear stumbling across a wounded wolf. I don't know how much longer you two would've gone at it if I hadn't got up here when I did. Now I'm sorry you're still sore cub, but I warned you two that this would happen if you got into a fight with each other. Come on let's get this over with kiddo." Jim said as he rubbed Dan's back, then turned the teen and walked him over to the bed keeping his hands on the teen's shoulders.

Tears ran down the youth's face as he stood at the edge of the bed. He watched as Jim sat down and reached for him. Dan instinctively pulled away, but went to Jim a second later and trembled as he was pulled over the strong thighs. He took his glasses off and laid them on the bed, then waited for his robe to be lifted, but when it wasn't he cast a curious glance back at Jim.

"I'm spanking you the same way Blair was spanked, there will be one difference. In light of you already having received six swats down stairs, I'm only going give you six swats now." Without another word, Jim raised his hand and landed the first of six swats. He landed the other five directly on top of the first one causing Dan to howl and try to bolt off Jim's lap. Jim uprighted the sobbing boy and held him close, after he landed the final swat.

Dan sobbed heavily against Jim's chest thoroughly wetting the man's shirt. He put his arms around Jim's neck, clinging to the man, desperate for comfort. "Sorry Jim. 'm sorry, sorry." He whimpered once his sobs had slowed enough for him to speak.

"Easy Bear cub. It's all right kiddo it's all right. You're forgiven, no more apologies. Shh, settle down and just concentrate on breathing. Good, just like that." Jim uttered the nonsense words as he rubbed a hand soothingly over the trembling teen's shoulders and back. He knew Dan was still hurting from the earlier ordeal and the six smacks he had just received had probably rekindled the fire in his seat again, but Jim had a feeling there was something else that was keeping the tears flowing as well as the hurt in the young teen's voice.

Dan slowly withdrew his arms from around Jim's neck and wrapped them as far as he could around Jim's chest. He winced as his bottom came in contact with Jim's thigh, his breathing began to slow and the only other sound that came from him was a soft sniff every so often.

When Jim felt the teen began to slowly calm down, he began to rub the teen's arm and asked, "You feeling a little better now kiddo?"

"A little. Jim, you'll help me find them, won't you?" Dan asked as he pulled away a little and looked up into Jim's pale blue eyes.

Jim saw the child like trust in Dan's eyes and the deeper fear at being disappointed by the large man. Jim sighed and ran a hand through his own short cropped hair before returning it to the back of Dan's neck and rubbing it lightly. " Dan, I will do my best to help you. You said one of your friends had the information?"

Hope and tears filled the chocolate brown eyes as Dan nodded slowly at the question. "Yeah, Michael has information for me. I could leave later and retrieve it. If that's okay?" Dan asked hope filling his voice.

"Yes you can go, but I doubt you're going to want to wear you're normal attire." Jim said knowing Dan wouldn't be comfortable in the seemingly tight clothing.

Dan smiled a little. "It's ok Jim. I've worn them afterwards before and it does hurt, but I've managed. I'm just not looking forward to sitting in my car and driving there. That's the part that hurts the most. I'll manage though." Dan said softly as he began to extract himself slowly from Jim's arms.

Jim stopped the teen's movements and held him close again. "You don't have to manage Dan. I can take you over there in your car while you stretch out across the backseat if you'd like." Jim offered to the teen.

A heated blush crept over Dan's face as he shook his head. "N-no that's alright. I'll manage." He looked sheepishly at Jim and hoped the man didn't take it the wrong way.

Jim smiled at the embarrassed teen. "I understand Bear cub. You don't want to be teased, right?" He asked as he began to rub Dan's back again.

A large sigh followed by a small nod was all Dan did for the moment, then he spoke softly, "It's more than that Jim. I mean I know they already suspect, because Michael has given me odd looks before when I've asked to stand during one of our talks. It's just that if I were to show up having to slide out of the backseat, facing them to ask for the help would be so hard. Please understand."

"Sure Dan I understand. I won't embarrass you, but why don't you lay down for now and rest. I'm sure you could use it huh kiddo." Jim said as he pulled Dan to him and gave him a hug.

Dan nodded and sighed with relief. "Yes thank you. I could use some aloe as well, but I guess that's out of the question?" He looked at Jim questioningly hoping he would be allowed the cooling gel.

Jim stood bringing Dan with him and helped him to lie stomach down on the bed while he moved the teen's glasses to the nightstand. "I think I could let you have a little now. Come on up Blair." He said sitting on the bed to rub Dan's back. He had known the curly headed teen had been waiting at the bottom of the steps wanting to see his friend and make up.

Hearing he was allowed up the steps, Blair raced up, the aloe tucked in his back pocket. He stood hesitantly at the top, not sure if he and Dan still wanted to be friends with him. Blair reached back, pulled the aloe out of his pocket and gave his still slightly sore bottom a quick rub.

Dan saw the way Blair hesitated and felt bad for saying he didn't want to be friends with him anymore. When he saw how Blair pulled the aloe out and rubbed his backside, he winced and sighed softly. "Doc? I-I'm sorry I was so mean to you today. I guess I was still feeling a little sorry for myself and I took it out on you. I really am sorry. Forgive me?" Dan asked looking down not wanting to see the uncertain look Blair had on his face any longer.

A large smile appeared on Blair's face as he nodded, then realized Dan wasn't looking at him, he bounded over giving Jim a small smile before turning his attentions back to his dejected friend. He set the aloe on the nightstand next to Dan's glasses. "If I didn't forgive you, would I have brought you this? Blair asked pointing at the aloe till Dan looked up with a small smile on his face.

Jim had remained silent as the teens made up with each other. He had seen the slight rub and the grin Blair gave him. He smiled back and continued to rub Dan's back. He got up after another minute and said, "Well I assume I can go to the station now and not worry about you two tearing into each other anymore right?"

"We'll be good Jim. Promise." Blair said as he turned to keep his backside away from Jim. He grinned and sat on the bed.

Jim shook his head at Blair's antics, pulled the boy up into a hug, gave his backside a gentle pat, then released him, leaned over, ruffled Dan's hair, knowing the teen would growl about it, and headed for the stairs.

"Hey!" Came the reply from both teens at each assault to them. Blair gave an exaggerated rub to his backside while Dan gave a mock scowl while he fixed his mussed hair. They saw the slight grin from Jim and broke into grins themselves.

The door to the loft closed a few minutes late and after fifteen more minutes, both boys sighed in unison knowing Jim was truly gone and headed to the station. "Oh Doc, my backside feels like Jim took an inch of skin off of it. I forgot how much that brush really stings."

"I know. Hey you want some sweatpants? They'll feel much better than jeans or your other pants." Blair asked heading towards the stairs looking over his shoulder as he asked.

Dan was quiet a moment then nodded. "Yeah Doc that sounds good. I'll put the aloe on while your downstairs." He reached over and grabbed the bottle of aloe as he watched Blair walk downstairs.

Blair went into his room when he got to the bottom of the steps and made sure to take his time. He got a pair of gray sweatpants, which were actually two sizes too big, but he used the drawstring on them to keep them up. He knew they would feel the best on a sore backside. He made his way from his room slowly to the bottom of the stairs.

"You can come up Doc." Dan called when he heard his friend milling around at the bottom of the steps. He chuckled softly and shook his head when he heard the way Blair thundered up the stairs. "Geez Doc, where'd you get the cows?" Dan asked and snorted with laughter at the look on Blair's face at the question.

"The wha… cows? What cows? Bear what are you talking about? I think Jim smacked you a little too hard, you're delusional." Blair said as he quirked an eyebrow and walked over with the sweatpants.

"The ones that stampeded up the stairs with you, Doc." Dan said with a grin. He yelped when the sweatpants were suddenly dumped on his head. "Hey! Alright Doc, as soon as I get these on, I'm coming after you." Dan got up rather slowly off the bed and watched as Blair went darting back down the stairs.

"You gotta catch me first slow poke." Blair called up the stairs as he quickly looked around, and when he spotted the balcony doors he got an idea. He opened the door and waited for Dan to come down the stairs.

The slight chill in the loft caused Dan to shiver when he went to walk down the stairs. He thought about going back for his robe, but didn't as he began to walk down the steps. The moment he reached the bottom of the steps he was suddenly pelted with something cold and wet. It took a moment to realize that he's been hit with a snowball. Dan looked up and saw Blair standing in the balcony doorway with another snowball. "Doc, that was very sneaky. I'm afraid though that a little retaliation is in order." Dan said as he stalked towards his friend grinning mischievously.

The two boys stood out on the balcony throwing snowballs at each other for a while before they both headed in exhausted. Blair flopped down on the couch wincing slightly as his still slightly sore backside connected with the couch. Dan on the other hand eased himself stomach down on the other couch and sighed.

Dan gave Blair an almost pleading look. "Hey Doc, I'm so tired. If I took a nap, you wouldn't say anything to Jim would you? He woke me up after only three hours of sleep. I really need a little more sleep."

Blair nodded and smiled. "I won't say anything, besides Jim didn't say you couldn't take a nap." He grinned wider at this and watched as Dan shook his head a little and grinned slightly.

He took his glasses off and set them on the coffee table, then stretched out a little more and began to drift off to sleep. Dan never felt the light quilt being draped over him as he drifted deep into sleep.

Blair looked up from the small book he'd been writing in, leaned back and rubbed his eyes. He couldn't understand why his eyes were always hurting him when he tried to read or write in his notebooks. He could see the boards fine at school. Maybe I should tell Jim. He would know what to do. Nah, he'd just worry I'll wait. I've probably just been working to hard. Blair reasoned with himself as he closed the small journal and got up. He walked back into his room and slipped the journal back in the drawer he had gotten it from. He knew they hadn't been shopping yet this week and decided to make a list of stuff they would need. Blair left his room with his notebook and pen and almost ran into Dan. "Oh sorry Bear. I didn't know you were up yet."

"It's alright Doc. What were you doing?" He asked still a little sleepy.

"I was gonna make a list of stuff Jim and I need from the store. It can wait though, I don't have to do this right now." Blair said as he retreated back into his room laid the notebook on his bed and left his room shutting his door behind him.

A spark registered in Dan's eyes at the mention of the grocery list. "Hey Doc, think you could put an extra bottle of aloe on there for me? I'll give you the money for it." Dan said with an almost pleading tone in his voice.

"Sure Bear no need to beg." Blair answered giving Dan a wink. A large grin suddenly appeared on Blair's face and he looked at Dan with a hint of mischief in his eyes. "Hey I got a great idea of something we can do when Jim gets home. You want to hear about it?" Blair asked still grinning.

Scowling at first at his friend's tease, he grinned slightly as Blair talked about getting Jim when he got home. "Sure Doc. Let's hear what that brain of yours has cooked up. I'm sure it will be interesting."

Jim pulled into his parking spot in the alleyway and was relieved not to hear any fighting. He wondered what the two boys were up to. As the elevator reached the top floor, he was becoming concerned when he heard the rapid heartbeats of both teens. He began to try to unlock the door as he fumbled with the keys and became increasingly frustrated. Finally he got the door open, and when he ran into the loft apartment, he was immediately pelted with something cold. "What the…snow?" Jim said still puzzled till he looked up at the two teens, who were grinning evilly with their hands behind their backs. "You two throw any more snowballs at me, and I'm gonna have to do something mean to you." Jim said calmly as he began to walk up to the stairs to his room.

Dan and Blair looked at each other for a moment before grinning and throwing the two snowballs they had behind their backs directly at Jim's back. Dan's snowball went lower than he intended hitting Jim squarely in the small of his back. Blair's snowball went high and landed against Jim's neck. It stayed for a moment as the victim stood motionless for a second. It's watery remains slid gracefully down Jim's shirt thoroughly wetting it.

Jim stood motionless for another moment before speaking. "I warned you both what was going to happen if you went through with it didn't I?" Jim asked. He looked like he was talking to the wall more than to the two teens. His voice was carefully controlled at the moment. "I want you two to bend over the back of the couch. I'll be down in a minute."

The smiles faded from the boys' faces as they looked at each other. "Did we take the joke too far Doc?" Dan asked in a whisper finding his voice first. He waited to see what Blair said first before doing anything else.

"I don't know. Jim isn't usually like this. Maybe something happened today and we just caught him at the wrong time." Blair whispered back as he headed over to the couch. He looked back at Dan and motioned to him to follow. Once Dan was next to him he continued in the hushed voice. "We might as well do as he said. He might be kidding but I don't want to take that chance."

Dan followed Blair's lead and bent over the back of the couch along with his partner in crime. He began to tremble when he heard Jim's footsteps falling on each step. He could see that Blair had paled considerably and wondered what he could say to reassure his young friend. He suddenly felt Jim's large hand at the waistband of his pants. He heard Blair whimper slightly and closed his eyes. His eyes immediately flew open when he felt something cold and wet being dumped down his pants. He stood up, spun around and faced Jim, who was trying his hardest not to laugh at the startled expressions on the teens' faces.

"Th-that was mean Jim!" Blair yelled once he found his voice. He pressed his backside against the couch as he said this secretly enjoying the cool relief the snow brought to his slightly aching butt.

"I warned you Junior that I was going to do something mean if you threw the snowballs at me." Jim said still chuckling, as he crossed his arms and leaned against the center beam of the apartment. He looked over at Dan and wondered what his take was on this.

Dan stood there against the back of the couch silently for a few moments, then burst into laughter. He clutched his sides as he tried to calm down. Soft snorts and small chuckles still escaped the teen's lips five minutes later though most of the laughter had died. He finally looked up at Jim and Blair, with tears of joy still in his eyes, pushed his glasses up and said, "I agree with Blair that was mean, but it was a good retaliation." He looked over at Blair and was surprised to see the storm clouds still in his friend's eyes.

Blair stalked out of the room and into his bedroom. He slammed the door to his room, but surprisingly enough the door didn't break. The slam echoed in the silence of the loft and both Jim and Dan stared at the closed door surprised by Blair's show of temper.

Tears flowed freely down Blair's face as soon as the door was closed. He knew Jim would smell them and be through the door soon, but he wanted those first few precious moments by himself. He knew Jim had meant no harm, but it had still hurt his feelings badly.

Dan had started for the door when a gentle hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Dan let me go to him. I think he needs me more than you at the moment." Jim was relieved when Dan backed off and let Jim go into the room. When Jim entered he saw Blair still standing near the center of his room with his arms wrapped around himself. There was a look on Blair's face that had a lump forming in Jim's throat. There was anger and sorrow in the young man's eyes but there was something else there, something Jim hadn't seen in a long time. He saw fear in Blair's eyes and wondered what had caused it.

Blair watched as Jim stared at him and felt the anger in him flair up. He stormed over to Jim, with tears still streaming down his face and pushed the detective as hard as he could, though he knew it wouldn't move Jim at all. He was mad and he couldn't understand why Jim didn't understand. He began to pound on Jim's chest next but each hit became softer than the last till Blair's fist just rested against Jim's chest and the teen was sobbing hard. He finally wrapped his arms around Jim's waist and sobbed into the man's chest.

When Blair pushed him, Jim didn't know what to think, then when the teen began to pummel his fists against Jim's chest, Jim waited the teen out. He could feel the raw pain in Blair's sobs and wondered what he had done to hurt his child this much. "Talk to me Chief. What's wrong?"

Blair finally pulled away from Jim and stared at him with his teary eyes. His voice was thick from crying but he still managed the angry tone. " I can't believe you'd ask me that Jim. You should know what's wrong. You should know what you did. I don't think you really ever listened to me when I talked about the Sharp's and what Mr. Sharp used to do to me."

Jim frowned a little at Blair's words. Why's the kid bringing those two into this conversation? Nothing was said about them at all. He went back over Blair's words again and suddenly the connection hit him like waves crashing against the shore. "Oh Blair. I'm sorry. I should've realized that making you go over the couch like that would be like him making you lay over your bed." He reached for Blair as he apologized and was surprised when Blair backed away from him.

"No don't touch me. When you said you were going to do something mean and then told us to b-bend over the couch, I thought we had gone too far. I didn't know you were teasing Jim. I can't tell you how scared I was when I heard you coming back downstairs. When I felt your hand on the back of my sweatpants, I thought we had finally done something to finally make you want to b-b…" He stopped, closed his eyes, took a deep breath and whispered the last part of his sentence. "Beat me."

Tears filled Jim's eyes as he walked over to Blair closing the distance between them. "Chief, I am so sorry kiddo. I never meant to make you feel like that. I should've made it a little clearer that I was teasing you and Dan. I'm really and truly sorry Chief." Jim said as he closed the final gap between them and stood in front of Blair.

Blair tilted his head up a bit to look at his guardian and saw the remorse on Jim's face. He lowered his head and leaned forward to rest his forehead against Jim's chest. "I forgive you Jim. I know you didn't mean it. I just…just I don't know. I know you would never, you know, but my thoughts ran off before my heart could catch up, I guess. Will…will you forgive me for thinking that you would do that to me?" Blair asked as he raised his head up and stared into Jim's eyes.

"Of course I will Chief, of course I will." Jim said as he pulled the boy into his arms and just hugged him. He could hear Dan moving around in the rest of the loft but didn't think anything of it at the moment. He just wanted to hold his pup and sooth the teen's feelings for a while.

"Jim I'm okay, we should go back out. Dan's probably…" Blair started and was startled when Jim's hand covered his mouth.

"Shh, Dan's fine. You on the other hand are not fine. You're still shaking and I know you're still upset by all this. Remember Chief I can hear things like the soft hitch in your breathing still and your slightly elevated heartbeat. You wanna talk about it some more?" Jim asked as he removed his hand from Blair's mouth and began to massage the teen's neck.

Blair made a contented noise as Jim rubbed his neck. He began to feel calmer after a few more minutes and gently pushed away from Jim. "I'm okay now Jim. Honest" Blair said as he grinned a little.

Jim raised an eyebrow and began to let his senses drift over the teen and found that Blair was doing better. "Okay Chief. You ready to go back out in the other room?"

The teen was about to nod when something caught his eye. "Uhm in a minute ok Jim. You go ahead. I want to do something first." He said walking over towards his desk. He reached for his notebook and gave Jim a look.

"Alright Junior I'm going. Just don't be long." Jim said giving his child one last suspicious look and then walked out of Blair's room and shut the door. He looked around and wondered where Dan had snuck off. He could hear both teens' heartbeats and suddenly he was pelted from above with something soft. The minute he looked up to see what happened He heard a creak and then something soft hit him in the stomach. He looked down and found two pillows.

When he looked up again, he saw Dan creeping down the stairs with another pillow and Blair coming out of his room with a pillow as well. "Now come on you two, we are not having a pillow fight." As soon as the words left his mouth, Jim was immediately pounced on and smacked twice with pillows before he grabbed one of the pillows and smacked one of the teens with it.

Dan yelped as a pillow caught him across the backside. He swung the pillow hard and heard Jim grunt as it connected with the man's mid section. Blair got in a hit to Jim's back and yipped as a pillow was knocked into his leg causing him to stumble a bit and land on his backside. They pummeled each other with the pillows till they all lie on the pillows on the floor panting.

Blair caught his breath first, got closer to Jim and laid his head on Jim's chest. "Hey Jim? Are we gonna go to the store tonight, or are we gonna wait till tomorrow?" Blair asked as he snuggled closer.

"I think we'll wait till tomorrow Chief. I'm a little worn out and I don't think Dan'll want to go out again today. Right Bear cub?" Jim asked as he looked over at the other teen, who's breathing had calmed as well.

A look of dismay crossed Dan's face as he said, "Jim I-I never went today. I was having fun with Doc and then took a nap. I don't think it's too late though. I could still go." Dan made an attempt to get up but stopped at the gentle touch to his arm.

"Bear cub it can wait. I know you're anxious kiddo but…" Jim stopped when he saw the dismayed and distraught look on Dan's face. "Tell you what Bear cub, I'll go get it. Alright?" He asked watching Dan.

Dan was about to protest, then stopped and thought about it for a moment. "Okay Jim, but could I go with you? Please." Dan asked softly. He moved so that his head was lying on Jim's chest next to Blair's. He felt one of Jim's arms go around him and knew the other one had gone around his friend.

"Sure kiddo, you can go with me. We'll all go and since we'll be out anyways, I guess we'll go to the store as well. You got a list ready yet kiddo?" Jim asked rubbing Blair's arm slightly.

"Not yet Jim. I can go make it now though." Blair said going to get up. He stopped when Jim tightened his grip on Blair's arm a little. He looked up a little confused wondering why Jim had stopped him.

Jim saw the look and rubbed Blair's arm a little then moved to rub Blair's back gently. "Just stay here for now kiddo. We'll go later. Let's just lay here a little longer. Jim said as Blair lie down and put his head back on Jim's chest. My back isn't going to be thanking me later but they're worth it. I can't believe I almost blew it today with Blair. I should've realized how it would seem to him. At least we were able to talk about it and I know my pup's hurt feelings have been soothed. This thought caused Jim to hug Blair a little closer to him.

The loft was filled with silence, only to be broken ten minutes later with soft snored from both boys. Jim sighed gratefully and pulled each teen a little closer to him wondering what trouble his pup and cub were going to get into next.


	7. Chapter 7

"Bye Jim, we'll be back before it's time to go." Blair called out as he and Dan prepared to walk out the door.

"Alright Junior but remember, if you aren't back by one, I'm leaving without you. Understood?" Jim said as he peered over the railing from his loft bedroom.

"Yeah yeah Jim, I know." Blair said, then looked up and saw the expression on Jim's face. "I mean understood Jim. Come on Bear, let's go." Blair said as he tried to hurry his friend out the door.

"You mean let's get out of here before you say something that'll earn you a sore butt right?" Dan whispered and chuckled as he allowed himself to be pushed out the door and into the hallway. The horrified look on Blair's face, had Dan trying to keep from smiling as he apologized. "I'm sorry Doc, I…" Dan stopped when he saw the grin appear on Blair's face.

"It's alright, Jim thought it was funny too. I could see him trying not to laugh as I pushed you out the door. Come on. If we have to be back by one I want to spend more than an hour at the mall." Blair said as he looked back at the closed door and followed Dan towards the stairs.

Once they arrived at the mall and drove around for twenty minutes looking for a suitable parking spot, which unfortunately wasn't as close as they would've liked, they separated. Dan was off to find a couple of books and a pair of sweatpants. Blair was off to get some new candles, incense, herbal teas, and a new cd.

Dan found both books and a pair of sweatpants that would fit him, and then went to look for Blair which he didn't think would be too hard since Blair said everything he wanted was located in one store in the mall, but when Dan arrived at the store, Blair was nowhere to be seen. He went and found a directory and found a few places that would carry one or two of the things Blair was looking for and decided to check those first. He walked around the corner and found that two tables had been set up. There was a girl that looked to be eighteen and Native American sitting there playing an odd looking instrument. He saw that there were cd's sitting on the table closest to the girl, while on the table farther away was jewelry made with turquoise, dream catchers and pictures of wolves. He made note of where the set up was and then went to hurriedly look for Blair.

Blair had scoured the one store where he had gotten his candles, incense, and herbal teas from but hadn't found a cd that had caught his attention. He then checked two different music stores hoping that they would have what he wanted but he came away from the second one frustrated as a sigh escaped his lips.

"There you are Doc. I have been looking all over for you. Have you found everything you wanted?" Dan asked as he looked at Blair.

Blair shook his head and said, "No. I'm trying to find a cd. It's not a certain one, but I want one that has just music on it or the sounds of nature you know a rainstorm, or a river. The sounds of wolves, birds and other wild animals on it."

Dan grinned and said, "Doc, buddy have I got something to show you. Come on follow me." Dan led Blair back to the tables where the girl was, but when they got there the girl had left, but the merchandise was still there. "She probably had to use the bathroom or something. I'm sure she'll be back in a few minutes Doc."

"That's cool, I'll just look at things till she comes back." Blair said as he began to look over the jewelry first. None of it held his interest very long so he moved to the dream catchers and pictures. He picked up one of the pictures and said, "Hey Bear look at this one. I've never seen something quiet like this." He held up the picture of a large black panther lying down. Batting at the panther's tail was a half grown wolf pup, and a little further away was a half grown bear cub watching the scene. The panther seemed to be watching the pup but if one looked closer they would notice that while the panther seemed to only be watching the wolf pup, it was also watching the bear cub.

"Wow. Normally I don't really like stuff like that but that…that's just…wow." Dan stammered a bit not really sure of what to say. He looked at his watch and his eyes widened a bit. "Uh hey Doc, if we're gonna get back to your place on time we have to leave in like the next ten minutes."

A loud put upon sigh emitted from Blair as he set the picture down. He noticed the cd's and decided to look through them real quick. He looked up after a moment and sighed again. "Where is that girl at? Doesn't she know she's gonna lose business not being here?" Blair said though a whine had crept into his tone.

"We can come back tomorrow Doc. I'm sure she'll be here." Dan stated calmly hoping to draw his friend away from the table so they could leave. He watched Blair sigh and turn from the table. Dan nodded and turned certain that Blair would follow him. He began to walk back towards the direction of where they had come in. Suddenly he heard Blair protest loudly and felt a heavy hand come down on his own shoulder. He turned and found that he had to look up at whomever was stopping him. A large, unhappy and unfriendly looking security guard was looking down at him. Dan took a deep breath and asked in a calm voice, "Is there something wrong officer?"

"When we catch thieves there is." The guard said. His voice was deep and heavy with anger. The man himself stood at six foot two and looked as if he had played football in high school. His square jaw was set in grim determination and looked like someone had chiseled it out of stone. Stone gray eyes appraised the skinny youth he held in his large paw like hands.

"Thieves? But…but we didn't…" Dan was cut off before he could get any further.

"Quiet you. I didn't recall asking you anything." The guard said as he gave Dan a rough shake. He stared over at the other guard who had Blair and watched as he snapped cuffs on the other youth's wrists. He looked down at his own thief and decided that since he'd gotten the tamer of the two, he wouldn't need cuffs, and eased his grip on Dan's shoulder slightly. When Dan didn't try to run he eased his grip a bit more.

Dan felt the painful grip on his shoulder begin to ease up, but as desperate as he was to get away and call Jim, he stayed still and waited. They'll have to call Jim sooner or later, or they'll make one of us do it. Dan thought as he felt the light prod and began to walk where the guard directed him.

Blair was thinking less rationally. He had panicked the moment the guard had grabbed his arm. He tried to pull away and run until the guard had grabbed his other arm. He had still tried to run but ended up being forced to lie on the ground. Blair couldn't help but calm slightly as he felt the cool tile on his cheek and was reasonable as the guard helped him back up but when the cuffs were being placed on him, he began to struggle again. Once the cuffs were on though he conceded defeat and stopped struggling. Oh man Jim's gonna hate…no he won't hate me, he's just gonna make sure that sitting won't be at the top of my list for a few days. He thought as he was walked to the security office. He could see Dan being moved along with his shoulder being held and his arms free. I shouldn't have struggled. I bet I'd have my hands free too.

The boys were put into two separate rooms and once hearing both stories, the head guard realized that Dan had nothing to do with the theft and he was given permission to use the phone to call Jim and explain the situation. Blair on the other hand, remained handcuffed in the room he was questioned in with the guard that had brought Dan to the security office.

Dan picked up the phone and dialed Jim's cell phone. His heart pounded as he listened to it ring; then his voice caught in his throat as Jim barked the same thing he always did over the phone. "J-Jim? It's me Dan."

"You guys are late Cub. I left and am waiting at the airport for Ben. You two will just have to meet us at gate 12." Jim teased a little.

Silence filled the air for fifteen seconds, then an audible gulp was heard followed by a nervous voice a second later. "Uhm Jim, it's…it's uh gonna be kind of hard for…for me and…I mean Blair and I to uh meet you and Ben. You'll…you're…" Dan stopped, took a few deep breaths and gathered his thought before speaking again. "Jim you need to come get us. We won't be able to make it to the airport in time."

"Daniel what's going on? Are you or Blair hurt?" Jim asked as he thought briefly of leaving right then and there to head to the mall.

"No Jim we're not hurt, but we're…or rather Blair is in a bit of trouble. I know you have to wait for Ben but once he's with you, could you please hurry?" Dan said calmly though there was a bit of urgency in his voice.

Jim nodded even though he knew Dan couldn't see him. "I'll be there as soon as I can kiddo. Just stay calm and stay where you are…where exactly are you Dan." Jim asked suddenly realizing that Dan hadn't offered that piece of information.

A large regret filled sigh came clearly over the phone. "Sorry Jim, I…I thought I had said. We…we're in the security office at the south entrance of the mall." Dan said softly hoping that Jim wouldn't yell over the phone.

The yell never came. Jim closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose and slowly counted to ten before speaking in a calm tone. "It's not your fault kiddo, Ben and I will be there as soon as we can. Just sit tight Cub."

"I will Jim thanks." Dan listened as Jim gave his own goodbye and hung up the phone. He got up and spoke to the guard telling him that his and Blair's guardians would be on the way soon.

Jim had Ben drive to the mall so that they would arrive safely and in one piece. Once there, Jim flashed his badge at a citizen trying to park in a close spot so that he could have the spot and get to Blair. They made their way to the door marked security and Jim knocked.

The head security guard opened the door and Jim had to look down at him. He was an older man with closely cropped salt and pepper hair. Broad shoulders and a stocky build spoke of strength that was there when needed. "Can I help you gentlemen?" He asked.

Dan heard the knock and when the older guard opened the door, he caught a glimpse of Jim and behind him Ben. Dan rose from his seat and all but ran to the door. "Jim. Ben." He said with relief.

Upon hearing the relieved words, the guard stepped away and allowed the two men to enter. Dan went into Ben's open arms and wrapped his arms around the man. Ben's left hand went to the back of Dan's head and his right began to immediately rub the teen's back.

The guard and Jim left Dan and Ben where they were and the guard led Jim to one of the rooms where Blair was being kept. When the guard opened the door, Blair looked up and relief flooded his face. "Dad." The word escaped his mouth before he could think, but the look on Jim's face let Blair know that it was okay. He stood to walk to Jim, but was immediately shoved back in his seat by the larger guard.

Jim's eyes darkened at seeing his child being seated so forcefully. "Don't put your hands on him again, and why is he still in handcuffs?" He asked, his voice coming out in a growl. He motioned for Blair to come over to him, then looked to the head guard and held out his hand.

The larger guard had started for Blair again when Jim motioned the teen to him, but was stopped by the smaller guard, and resumed his position against the wall. He watched as Jim undid the cuffs and handed both the cuffs and the key back to the older guard.

Blair turned, once his hands were free, wrapped his arms around Jim's waist and buried his face into Jim's chest. He felt Jim's arms wrap around him and stroke his hair till he was ready to let go.

"Is he being charged?" Jim asked the older guard.

"The mall manager says he won't press charges, but he will be banned from the mall for a month and he wants to know if there will be retribution at home." The guard said as he eyed the boy still clinging to Jim.

Jim nodded as he continued to stroke Blair's hair and rub his back. "Yes there will be consequences when we get home and I think the manager is being more than fair by banning Blair here for only a month but if that's what he wishes then we'll go by it. Can we go?" Jim asked as he gently peeled Blair away from him and wrapped an arm around him tucking him close to his side.

The guard nodded and swept his hand toward the door gesturing for Jim to go ahead.

Jim walked out of the room and met up with Dan and Ben in the sitting area. All four left the security office and the mall. They decided that Ben and Dan would follow Jim and Blair.

Blair sighed as he sat on his bed and the scooted so that he was laying against his headboard. He stared at Dan and asked softly. "Why do you think Jim wanted to talk to Ben? Do you think he's gonna tell him about what happened while he was gone?" He knew Dan was worrying about that exact thing.

"I don't know Doc. At least his attention is off of you at the moment. Why'd you do it Doc? I've been meaning to ask you that since the guards tackled us What were you taking anyway? One of the cd's or the picture?" Dan asked his curiosity getting the better of him.

"It was one of the cd's. I don't know why I did it really. It's just that I didn't…I didn't think Bear. I just didn't think. I am so stupid." Blair said as he leaned forward a bit then knocked his head against the headboard. The minute he did it he heard someone thundering down the steps and heading for the room. He sat up and wished he hadn't done either of the two things, when Jim appeared in the doorway. "I'm sorry Jim. I didn't mean it. I…I'm just frustrated with myself right now." Blair said his voice clearly annoyed and tears finding their way down his cheeks.

Jim nodded and held his arms open to his miserable little pup. "I know kiddo. I know. I'm a little frustrated with you myself at the moment. We'll fix it though Junior. I need you to stay down here a bit longer though and no more harsh words about your intelligence alright?" Jim asked as pushed Blair away from him a bit and tilted the teen's face up to him.

Blair nodded and immediately yelped at the swat to his backside. He was pulled back into another brief hug then released and nudged back towards his bed. He went and sat indian style on his bed again and closed his eyes while Jim left the room, then opened them and stretched his legs out.

Dan just watched things happen. When he had heard the remark Blair had made and watched his friend bang his head he knew what would happen and sure enough he had heard Jim thunder down the stairs. He knew Jim didn't tolerate Blair downing himself and always acted quickly when he heard Blair doing it. Once Jim had left and had gone back upstairs Dan shook his head at Blair and said, "Doc, why do you do that? You know Jim hates it."

"I know, but I just feel like that sometimes. I know it's not true but sometimes when I do stuff it makes me wonder." Blair said softly as he leaned back and head connected with the headboard again only softer this time.

"Jim, why are we up in your bedroom? Why not talk downstairs on the couch?" Ben asked as he sat on one of the chairs Jim had brought up to his room. He had thought that they would get Dan's things from the house and his own things from Jim's truck and leave, but Jim had said that he wanted to talk to Ben first before they went home.

"The boys won't be able to hear us up here as easily as they would if we were to sit downstairs. This is something I don't need them hearing. I guess the only way to start this is to tell you that yes while you were gone Dan got in a bit of trouble. He can fill you in on the details but I want to talk about how he's treated." Jim said getting straight to the point.

"What do you mean how he's treated? I treat Dan well. I don't abuse him Jim if that's what you're getting at. What has Dan been telling you?" Ben asked outrage filling his tone at the end. He went to rise but a light grip on his forearm had him settling back down in his seat.

"Stop. Dan didn't say you abused him. I'm not saying you abuse him either. I'm saying that he doesn't seem to get a lot of affection or attention from you. Let me ask you something. When you spank him, what happens between you two?" Jim said calmly as he released Ben's arm and sat back.

Ben sighed at the question and closed his eyes a minute to think through the way he did things with Dan. "When he does something that requires me to spank him, I send him to his room to wait for me if I need to calm down first, or I follow him to his room if I have a grip on my anger. He waits for me if he has to and then when I come in the room, I ask him if he knows why he's in trouble, he nods I get the paddle from the top dresser drawer and have him bend over the end of his bed. I give him a number of swats depending on what he did. Then we're done. I put the paddle back tell him he's done and then I leave the room and go back downstairs. It's always the same except for the one night when I caught Dan trying to drive home while he was three sheets to the wind. I walked him up to his room that night, had him take his pants down and I took my belt to him. He scared me that night Jim. If I hadn't thought to go looking for him and found him still sitting in his car trying to stick the key in the ignition, I could've lost him. I pulled him up when I was done and just stared at him because I was afraid to do anything else. Finally I told him that he should go lie down and I would bring him up something. I brought him up the aloe after an hour and went back downstairs to drink some water and calm my nerves some more."

"You didn't hold him or talk to him? You just left him?" Jim asked. He looked at Ben with a mixture of anger and sympathy. "How could you leave him alone and hurting like that? You said he scared you. It must've not been too badly though, because if he had I would think you would've taken him in your arms, held him and thanked God for watching over him and keeping him from finding the key hole till you got there."

"Jim I wanted too, but I didn't think Dan would let me." Ben said flatly.

"That's bull Ben. I saw how you opened your arms to him and he immediately went to you when we went to get them from the mall. If you wanted to you should have. I've had Dan here for two week and he does like to…no he loves to be touched, held, talked to. Do you two spend time together in the evenings?"

"The incident at the mall was different. Dan was scared and needed reassurance. No. When Dan comes home from school he goes to his room and does his homework, I don't know what he does after that. He comes down for dinner, offers to do dishes or something downstairs but I usually tell him that I can handle it and he goes back upstairs." Ben said not understanding what Jim was getting at.

Jim gave a heavy frustrated sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. When he opened them again and looked up at Ben he said, "Ben, he needs reassurance after you spank him as well. He needs to know that he's still loved, that you still care for him and that he's forgiven. Also when he offers to do something with you or for you, he's trying to spend time with you and you keep turning him away. I know you aren't doing it on purpose, but when he offers let him help you. He wants to be with you. It doesn't have to be cleaning the house either. If you're gonna watch something go ask him if he wants to watch it with you. Include him in things, don't make him feel alone and unwanted Ben."

"Oh God Jim, I was trying to get him away from that and ended up doing the same thing to him." Ben said softly with his head in his hands.

"You want to know what happens with Blair and I when he needs to be punished? I send him to his room if I need to calm down which I'm glad to hear that you do too. When I go in there I sit on his bed and have him sit with me and we talk about what he's done, why he did it and what he should've done instead. Now depending on what he's done I might use my brush or I might just use my hand."

"Wait Jim. How do you decide on which to use?" Ben asked suddenly curious.

"Well until recently I've used my hand but Blair ended up putting himself into a life threatening situation and I just couldn't see to letting that go with just spanking him with my hand so I took my hairbrush, tested it first, started spanking him with my hand first and then switched to the brush about halfway through. I should mention that first I had him take his jeans down, bent him over my lap and the pulled his boxers down." Jim stopped when he saw the look on Ben's face. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"You put him over your lap and spanked him bare?" Ben asked incredulously.

"Yes. One because you can see what your doing. You don't want to bruise him and second, it's a comfort to both you and him to have him over your lap." Jim explained.

"A-a comfort? How would it be a comfort to him being in that position?" Ben asked still uncertain.

"I know it seems odd but I say it's a comfort because he knows you're there for him. That you care about him to do this. If you didn't care; it wouldn't matter what he did. You're telling him he matters." Jim explained wanting Ben to understand everything.

"That makes sense. You're sure Dan won't balk at this?" Ben question still doubtful.

Jim couldn't help laughing at the question. "Of course he's gonna balk at it Ben. I'd worry about him if he didn't. No kid wants to be spanked but once you let him know in no uncertain terms what's gonna happen he'll relent. The one thing you do have to watch for with him though is if he's too quiet, stop a moment and check on him. I caught him biting his knuckle till it bled. Don't let him do that. He might try it the first time but if you let him know that it's okay for him to cry that it won't make you think less of him, I don't think he'll do it again. Oh I do have a question to ask. Why would he think that reaching back would get him a smack on the hand with whatever he was being punished with?"

"That's his mother's doing. I've never done that to him Jim honest." Ben said vehemently.

Jim nodded. "If you have anymore questions don't hesitate to call me or anything. If you need to talk you can come over here and we can send the boys out somewhere." He told Ben as both men stood up.

They headed downstairs and Ben called out. "Dan, come on kiddo time to go."

Dan came out of the room with his duffle bag and turned a small smile on Blair. "Bye Doc see you later." He turned to Jim, walked over to him and gave him a hug. "Bye Jim, thanks for letting me stay. I'm sorry about the trouble I caused."

Jim wrapped his arms around the teen, and glanced at Ben, then looked down at Dan. "You were no trouble kiddo. We took care of that remember. It's over. You can come back anytime and stay as long as you want." He said as he rubbed Dan's back a bit. He released him and walked over to his own child and put an arm around Blair's shoulders and pulled him close.

Ben nodded at Jim and Blair and followed Dan out.

When they were gone, Jim gave Blair's shoulder a squeeze and said, "Come on kiddo. Time for us to go have a talk." He rubbed Blair's arm as he turned them both and they walked into Blair's room. Jim released Blair and shut the door. He watched as Blair went and sat forlornly on the bed. Jim leaned against the doorway slightly and asked, "Why'd you do it Blair?"

Blair shrugged his shoulders. "I-I don't know Jim. I was gonna pay for it honest, but the girl who was supposed to be there wasn't there and I didn't think that she'd be there if I went back tomorrow. It's not a good excuse Jim, I know this and I'm sorry I did it." Blair said as he looked down at the floorboards. He felt the bed dip next to him a little and then felt Jim's arm wrap around his shoulders. He leaned against his guardian and sighed unhappily.

"It isn't a good excuse Junior, but I'm glad you realize this. I know that I didn't state this as a rule Blair but I didn't think it was necessary." Jim said as he reached down with his free hand and lifted Blair's head. He saw the tears shimmering in Blair's dark blue eyes.

"It's not. It was just a lapse in judgment Jim. It won't happen again." Blair said sniffing softly. He felt the light pat to his cheek and gave a small smile at the gesture.

"I know it won't Junior. I'm gonna see to that." Jim said and felt a shudder go through the teen next to him. He stood Blair up and watched as the teen's hands went to the button on his jeans and unbuttoned them.

Blair slid his jeans down and laid himself over Jim's lap. He wiggled a little as Jim adjusted him and stiffened a little when he felt his boxers being slid down. He felt Jim's hand rest lightly on his backside and waited for his hand to leave its intended target.

When Jim felt Blair relax under his touch, he raised his hand and brought it down sharply. He raised his hand again and saw the pink handprint the left behind on Blair's pale bottom. He continued to bring his hand down hard. He watched the pale skin turn from pink to a bright crimson. He winced at the howls that emitted from Blair and was a little surprised that Blair hadn't reached back yet.

It hurt. From the very base of his bottom downward hurt and felt like Jim was never gonna stop. Blair knew he deserved it though. Every time he thought of reaching back, he stopped himself and reminded himself of what he did to get in this position in the first place. When he felt his incredibly hot and sore bottom raise in the air, he knew what was coming next.

As he landed the first stroke to the unmarked skin of the undercurve, Jim couldn't help but wince at the shriek that emitted from Blair. He knew the swats were harder than Blair had expected, but he was going to make sure his little pup learned this lesson so they wouldn't have to repeat it. As he went to add another swat to the bright red underside, he caught sight of Blair's hand that had finally come back to protect the vulnerable skin. Jim gently took the hand in his and said with a firm kindness, "It's almost over with kiddo. Only a few more to go." He decided to finish it quickly for the sake of both of them. Five, hard, swift swats rained down on each side of the now blazing hot undercurve.

When Blair felt his hand captured by Jim's larger one, he didn't bother to kick his feet up as usual, for he knew Jim would only wait and ask him to put them down before resuming. He knew though that it was almost over even before Jim's words and just buried his face into the crook of his other arm. Deep sobs filled the room as the ending swats seemed to burn more than the rest. He hadn't realized that he was being turned in Jim's arms till he felt the coolness of his boxers grace his bottom and then his butt ignite into flames as Jim tried to adjust him into a comfortable position.

Jim felt Blair squirm as he was settled and let him off. He lifted Blair in his arms and settled him on the bed on his side. He whispered assurances to the sobbing teen as he patted his arm while he tugged the jeans off the boy and discarded them on the floor. Jim sat back down on the bed close to Blair's head and lifted the boy as gently as he could. When he was done, Blair lay on his side his hip in the graceful dip of Jim's knees. His head nestled on the broad shoulder, his right arm around Jim's neck, his left arm now laying limply at his side. His sobs had ebbed away and been replaced with quiet tears and small sniffles.

Thoughts flowed through Blair's mind as he lay on Jim's shoulder. A large yawn consumed his face for a moment then his mind went back to processing. His mind was back to the moment when Jim had showed up and Blair felt so much relief that he called Jim something else. He wanted to speak to ask Jim about it but suddenly it felt as if his mouth wouldn't cooperate. He had closed his eyes while he thought, but when he tried to open them, he found that he couldn't do it. They felt so heavy. His thoughts slowed, his breathing began to even out and finally he surrendered to what had been trying to claim him for a while. Sleep.

The drive home had been quiet for the two in the cream colored Taurus Sedan. Dan locked the car and followed Ben inside. He began to head towards the stairs that led up to his room, when he was stopped by Ben's hand on his arm. He looked at him questioningly.

"Come on Dan. We need to have a talk." Ben said as he jerked his head towards the kitchen. He looked behind him slightly as he went and was glad to see Dan following. When they reached the kitchen, Ben motioned for Dan to have a seat. "You hungry? Thirsty?"

Dan shrugged a little then nodded and said, "I'll drink something." He looked down at his folded hands on the table then looked up and asked, "Ben am I in trouble?"

Ben had begun to make two cups of hot chocolate when Dan suddenly asked his question. He poured the powder mix in the mugs and then turned to face Dan as he turned the back burner on, where the kettle was sitting. "What makes you think you're in trouble Dan?" He asked as he propped his hip against the counter.

"Well the fact that you want to talk I guess. Normally you don't mind when I go off to my room." Dan said as he lifted his head and looked at Ben with his chocolate brown eyes. Apprehension and nervousness were apparent in the teen's eyes.

Ben walked over to Dan and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You're not in trouble. I just want to talk." Ben grabbed a chair and brought it close to Dan's seat then sat down. He folded his hands on the table and was quiet a few minutes then looked at Dan and asked, "Dan, are you happy with me? What I mean is, is living here with me what you expected it to be when you left your mother?"

Dan blinked several times at the question. He hadn't expected Ben to ask him a question like that and was still a little stunned that he had. Finally when the shock wore off, Dan began to think about the question seriously. "I thought that when I came here, that when I did get into trouble that we would talk like before when we lived with Mom. That we would still hang out and go do stuff. I knew I wouldn't be screamed at because you've never screamed at me, just sighed and told me to wait in my room while you smoothed Mom's feathers down. I thought that you would still let me know though that we were okay like you used to. I mean you used to mess my hair up, even though I don't like it, or you'd just put your hand on my shoulder." Dan said and went quiet a minute. He looked up to speak again only to see Ben cover his folded hand with one of his own and hold up the other to keep him from speaking. Dan nodded and let Ben have his say.

"I'm sorry. I had no idea the you felt that way. Why didn't you come to me and talk to me about it?" Ben asked his brown eyes searching Dan's. The teakettle went off at that moment and Ben got up to shut it off. He poured the hot liquid over the chocolate powder then opened a cabinet, touched the back at the edge, then looked at Dan and asked, "Marshmallows?"

Dan couldn't help the grin that had formed on his face at the word. He nodded and accepted the mug with hand and the marshmallows with the other. He couldn't help but chuckle as he added a few to his mug.

"What's so funny?" Ben asked as he sat down.

"It's just something that happened when I was staying with Blair and Jim. I'll tell you about it later." Dan said as he took a small sip and then looked at Ben with seriousness again. "You asked me why I didn't come an talk to you about it. I had planned on it Ben. I was going to come to you that night I got drunk. When I asked to go to the party, I had fully expected you to question about it and then forbid me to go. You told me to have fun. I went because I was a little stunned that you hadn't asked anything about it. When I got there I just planned on driving past but then I got angry with you. I thought you didn't care about what I did or me anymore. I shut the car off and went in. Someone handed me a beer and instead of putting it down I drank it. I guess I'm not very tolerant of liquor because I was already feeling a warm buzz and when the second beer was shoved into my hands I just accepted it. When you found me, there was a part of my mind that leapt with gladness at the look on your face. I knew you were gonna be hard on me, but that part of my mind didn't care. It knew you cared and that was why you were gonna be so hard on me. I was a little scared when you took your belt off and took my pants down. I hadn't really expected either one, but I kept rationalizing that you were gonna give me a little more comfort afterwards. I had thought when you stood me up that you were just gonna pull me into your arms, but you left Ben. It…it hurt me so much. It hurt more than the belting I got. When I heard you come back up later, I thought that maybe you had thought about it and were gonna come tell me that you had forgiven me or something, it hurt that all you did was hand me the bottle of aloe. I just felt that you had stopped caring. I even thought of going back to Mom. These two weeks with Jim and Blair had me wishing that we could be that way."

"Dan I never meant to hurt you or make you feel unwanted and unloved. I'm sorry for that. I am going to try and repair things between us." Ben said as he reached up and brushed some hair from Dan's face. "It'll be like a new beginning for us. From now on we talk to each other and when you get in trouble, I won't just walk away."

The gentle touch of Ben's hand caused tears to spring to Dan's eyes. He listened quietly and nodded when Ben was done. "I'd like that. A new beginning sounds good, but Ben don't you mean if I get in trouble?"

Ben chuckled a little. "No I said what I meant and I meant when because we both know that you will end up doing something to earn a sore backside. Now what was this trouble you got into with Jim?"

Dan groaned and had a feeling this was gonna be a long night, but in his heart he couldn't have been happier.


	8. Chapter 8

**A Free Spirit…**

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_By Enelya_  
_# 8 in the Sacred Ground Series_

It had been a long tiring day and the two occupants of the Ford pick up couldn't wait to get home. Blair yawned and laid his head against the window. He looked over at Jim slightly and asked, "Hey Jim, could we order take out tonight? I'm beat and don't feel like doing any dishes."

Jim looked over at Blair and smiled a little. "Sure Chief. I don't see the harm in getting a little take out tonight. What do you feel like? Chinese maybe?" Jim asked as he pulled into the parking spot next to their building.

Blair nodded. "Yeah Jim that sounds good. I'm thinking I'll get some beef with broccoli, an egg roll and some plain fried rice. If that's ok?" Blair asked as he unbuckled and looked over at Jim.

"Sure Chief. I think that sounds good, but I think I'm gonna get some sweet and sour chicken along with what you said." Jim said as he got out and shut the door. Blair followed suit and followed slowly behind Jim inside the building and into the elevator.  
"Hey kiddo, I think maybe after dinner tonight we should both turn in early. I know you're tired kiddo and I know I'm beat." Jim said as he put his arm around Blair's shoulders.

Blair leaned against Jim and yawned. "I think that sounds good Jim." When they reached the top, Blair allowed Jim to guide him from the elevator and towards the loft. He sniffed the air and looked up at Jim to see if he smelled what he did and saw his guardian giving him a look. "What?" He asked confused.

"Did you leave a candle or something scented burning?" Jim asked, knowing Blair didn't, but feeling the need to ask.

"Jim come on man, you know I know better than that. You would've smelled it before we left the loft, and before we got down the hall. It smells like someone's burning sage." Blair said taking in a deep breath of the stuff.

The detective frowned as he sniffed the air again and moved so that he was in front of Blair as he began to move cautiously down the hall and pulled his gun out. He looked behind him and saw that Blair was following him. "Blair, stay right there. I'm gonna go check it out first." He told the teen.

"But Jim…" Blair started.

"No buts Junior unless you want this to involve your butt afterwards." Jim stated as he gave Blair a look that said `Do you really want to go down that path tonight Junior?'

Blair sighed softly and shook his head. "No sir." He said quietly and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed showing that he wasn't happy, but wouldn't argue anymore.

A quirked eyebrow at Blair's stance was all Jim did, and then he made his way to the door and opened it cautiously. He stood there stunned when he saw what was going on in his kitchen.

A woman with short, red hair was standing in his kitchen cooking something in a large pot on the stove. She looked up at him and smiled. "Hi I hope you don't mind but I knew Blair would be hungry when he got home." She said in a happy cheerful tone.

Jim looked out into the hallway and motioned for the teen. He watched Blair approach, then sort of slide past him quickly keeping his butt out of range, putting a glint of amusement in Jim's eye. He watched as Blair's face took on a shocked look at the woman and then one of complete joy.

"Ma!" Blair shouted as he rushed quickly to the woman and wrapped his arms around her. "Oh God Mom I've missed you. Where've you been?" He asked as he hugged her tighter, not wanting to let her go.

"Hi baby. I've missed you too. I've been in Tibetan monastery learning how to meditate more fully. It's wonderful. I'll have to show you how to do it. It releases the negative energy within you and just calms your aura." The woman said as she gently pushed Blair away from her and held his face in her hands. "Look at that hair. You look like a hippie from the seventies with all that long hair. Don't you ever cut it, it's beautiful." She said smiling at Blair.

Jim had watched the two curiously. He had thought that when he first met Blair that the teen had said his mother was dead, but he had called this woman Mom and couldn't seem to get enough of her. He cleared his throat to get their attention and was amused to see the embarrassment on Blair's face.

"Oh sorry Jim. I-I forgot to introduce you. I-I just got all excited and…" Blair started but stopped when Jim raised his hand.

"It's alright Chief. How about telling me who this is." Jim said calmly as he walked over to them both.

A smile spread widely on Blair's face. "This is my Mom, Naomi. Naomi this is Jim. I'm just so happy to see you again Mom." Blair said as he wrapped his arms around his mother once more.

Jim could hear the rapid beating of Blair's heart, and the small contented sighs and the soft whisper Blair murmured to his mother. "I missed you so much Mom, I love you. I love you." A wave of sorrow rolled through Jim as he realized that his little pup might not be with him much longer. He forced a smile to his face as he said, "Well Chief it looks like we don't have to order out tonight. Your Mom seems to have cooked something up." Jim tried to lift the lid of the pot, but his hand was smacked with the spoon.

"You stay out of there. It's not ready." Naomi said as she smiled at Jim.

"Hey, just trying to see what was cooking." He said as he shook his hand at the slight sting and tried to glare menacingly at Blair who was trying hard to hide his laughter.

The curly headed youth had his hands over his mouth to keep the laughter from spilling out, but his dancing blue eyes gave him away along with a muffled snort every few minutes or so.

"Keep it up Junior and I might find another use for that spoon." Jim said as he grinned at the youth.

Blair's mouth dropped open completely devoid of any humor at all. "You wouldn't." Blair stated still aghast at the words.

"You wanna test that theory Chief?" Jim said as he tried to hide the humor in his voice.

Naomi hadn't said anything during their exchange, but looked up at Jim's words and tilted her head a bit like a curious dog. She turned to look at her son, as if whatever his reaction was, she would take her cue from it.

Blair's eyes widened slightly, then he grinned a bit and shook his head. "No, I don't think I will." He said and peered over his mother's shoulder as she had gone back to cooking and lifted the lid a bit. "Smells good Mom. What is it?"

"You should know sweetie." Naomi said and grinned.

Blair's face split into a big grin. "Alright. I was hoping you were making that. You're making something else with it right?"

Jim was quirking his eyebrow at the confusing conversation. "You mean you know what she's making?" He asked his young charge.

"Yeah, she's making my favorite thing to eat. Hey Mom, what else are you making? I know you're not just making that." Blair asked turning back towards his mother not mentioning what she was making.

A large sigh came from Jim as he finally gave up and walked over to the couch to sit down. He frowned when he saw that the furniture had been switched around. "Hey Chief, come here."

Blair looked up from another pot, put the lid down and walked over to Jim. "Yeah Jim what is it?" He paused for a minute then looked where Jim was looking and said softly, "You know maybe we could…." He paused when he saw the look Jim was giving him and continued. "I'll put it back when Mom leaves Jim, I promise."

Jim nodded, went over to the couch, sat down and flipped the television on. He sighed heavily still not happy with the furniture rearrangement, but figured he could deal with it while Blair's mother was here.

Once dinner was done, Blair began to clean up the dishes, when his mother stopped him.

"Baby, what are you doing? Just leave them, they can be done later darling. Come over here and sit with me on the couch." Naomi beckoned as she sat on the other couch.

Jim watched from his chair a moment then, flicked the television on and began to watch the Jags game.

Blair licked his lips as he looked at Jim, then looked at his mother, and then looked back at Jim. He swallowed, then turned and went to clear the table. He began to whisper softly knowing Jim would hear him. "Jim, man please I promise I'll do them tomorrow, please let me off tonight." He pleaded softly.

Jim didn't act like he had heard the youngster's plea, but a moment later he looked up and said, "Hey Chief, why don't you come and sit down and watch the game with me. I'll take care of those in a bit."

Blair looked up startled having believed that Jim had no intention of letting him off the hook. He set the plates down on the table and walked over to where Jim sat and plopped down next to him, forgetting about his mother for the moment.

"Sweetie come sit over here. Leave Jim to his game. You and I can talk and catch up while he watches that." Naomi said as she smiled and patted the spot next to her, oblivious to the fact that Blair was watching the game as well.

"Next commercial Mom." Blair said as he leaned forward a little more intent on the game than his mother at the moment.

Naomi arched an eyebrow at her son. "Since when do you like sports sweetheart? I thought you told me they were boring."

"Mom I never said they were boring. I just said that at the time I had no interest in them." Blair told her as he kept his eyes glued to the television.

"You had no interest then, but they interest you now? Is that because he has you watch with him?" Naomi asked her voice filled with a bit of anger and hurt.

Blair finally drew his eyes away from the television and stared at his mother. "Ma, Jim asked if I wanted to watch it with him one night. I did and it's fun. Jim and I enjoy watching the game at night when it's on. We have fun together." Blair said trying to figure his mother out at the moment.

Jim had heard the tones in Naomi's voice and instinctively moved closer to Blair as he now looked at Naomi as well. His arm went around Blair as he continued to glare at the woman who was trying to make their evening ritual seem like all his idea and none of her  
son's.

The actions and the looks of the man sitting next to her son had Naomi's maternal instinct rearing its head. She narrowed her eyes at Jim. "Get your hands off my son. He doesn't belong to you." She ground out in almost a growl as she stood.

"I have the papers stating that I am Blair's legal guardian until I adopt him, or he's of legal age." Jim barked back as he stood as well, forgetting about Blair.

Blair heaved a loud sigh when the adults began arguing. Neither seemed to notice this sigh though and continued to argue about him. Blair got up, moved away from both of them and went to his room shutting the door loudly behind him so it would get their attention, but not break the glass.

The slammed door got Naomi and Jim's attention. "What the…?" Jim asked at the same time Naomi yelled, "This is all your fault!"

"My fault? How is this my fault? If you had just let the boy alone while we were watching the game, none of this would've happened." Jim growled.

"You are not turning this around on me. If you hadn't taken him away from his home in the first place none of this would've happened." Naomi barked back.

"What! He's sixteen years old and trying to handle things he wasn't ready for yet!" Jim yelled, and turned away for a moment huffing loudly.

Blair was leaning his head against his door with a tear rolling down his cheek. He couldn't take it. He didn't want the two people he cared about arguing over him. An idea came to him and he closed his eyes and thought about it for several minutes making sure it was  
something he really should do. The adults were still arguing and Blair nodded himself. 'Jim's gonna have my butt for this, but I can't take the arguing anymore.' Blair thought to himself. He turned on the white noise generator and stood there taking deep breaths trying to force himself to go through with his plan. He listened at the door and could still hear his mom and Jim arguing. He opened his balcony door, stepped outside and shut the door quietly behind him. He went down the stairs as quickly and quietly as he could. Once he was on the ground, he headed down the street to the coffee house.

Meanwhile, Naomi and Jim were still arguing. Naomi poked Jim in the chest with her finger. "Now you listen here, I've always taken care of my baby. I have never had any trouble out of him. You must be doing something wrong if you've had trouble with him."

"I must be doing something wrong? He's sixteen! He shouldn't have all the responsibilities you left him when you left him alone!" Jim shouted. He froze then, and cocked his head. "Something's wrong," Jim said as he moved away from Naomi and headed towards Blair's room. He opened the door and looked in. When he saw the room was empty and the white noise generator sitting out, he growled. "I'm gonna to wear his butt out and then he's grounded till he's thirty," Jim said out loud to himself.

"You're doing what to my baby?" Naomi asked from behind Jim.

"I'm gonna find him and bring his disobedient butt back home. You can come if you want, but do not interfere," Jim said as he turned around and faced Naomi.

"Interfere? Why would I interfere? What are you going to do to my baby?" Naomi asked again.

Jim ignored her, headed towards the front door, grabbed his keys from the basket and left the apartment. He could hear Naomi following him.

Blair had been disappointed when he showed up at the coffee house and Dan wasn't there. He sat at the bar drinking a hot tea and wondering how much longer it would take till Jim burst through the door. Twenty minutes later, Blair heard the door open and a shiver went up his spine. A second later a large hand descended upon his shoulder. Blair turned and stared into the angry eyes of his guardian. He saw his mother standing by the door smiling at him, but giving worried looks at Jim.

"Let's go Junior. You are in deep trouble," Jim said quietly.

"I'll only go under one condition. You and Mom quit arguing. I'm not gonna listen to it any longer," Blair said as he tried to shake off Jim's hand.

Jim leaned closer and whispered into Blair's ear. "If I were you Chief, I wouldn't be arguing. Don't make me embarrass you in front of your mother and the others in here. I don't want to, but I will if you don't come on."

"You wouldn't," Blair said quietly in disbelief.

"Like I asked earlier Junior, you wanna test that theory?" Jim asked.

Blair shook his head, not wanting to test Jim, but he didn't want to appear to give in too easily either. He stayed in his seat though and asked, "Do I at least get my condition met? No more arguing from you and Mom?"

"Fine no arguing, now come on," Jim ordered.

"Don't you order him around like that! You stay there if you want sweetie," Naomi said as she marched over to the two.

"Butt out Naomi. Blair, move it," Jim growled.

"NO! I'm not going anywhere. When you two decide to stop arguing, then I'll move," Blair told him.

Everyone in the coffee house stopped what they were doing at the shout and turned towards the bar. The four young teens that Dan normally sat with looked at each other as the adults started to argue, when Blair shouted, Michael and Robert got up and walked over.

"Blair is something going on? Do you need some help?" Robert asked.

Jim looked at the boys and answered, "No he doesn't."

"We weren't talking to you sir, we were asking Blair," Michael said.

Blair looked at Michael and Robert and then at Jim. "I'm okay guys, thanks," Blair said as he nodded.

The young men nodded and walked away. Jim watched them walk back, then turned his attention back on Blair. "Last chance Chief. You come along of your own accord or this isn't going to be pleasant for any of us," Jim said as he leaned forward so only Blair would hear him.

"Alright Jim, I'm coming," Blair said as he got up.

Jim grabbed Blair by the arm and walked him out of the coffee house. He opened the passenger door of his truck, pulled Blair into a brief hug and released him. "Inside. We'll talk at home," Jim said calmly. Blair climbed in with Naomi right behind him.

The ride home was quiet as was the ride up to the loft. Once inside, Jim pointed at the couch. "Sit," he ordered Blair. When Naomi opened her mouth, Jim pointed at her and said, "Quiet. You can talk in a minute." He looked back at Blair and said, "Alright Junior, let's hear why you snuck out."

"I didn't sneak out. I left," Blair said.

"Really? If you weren't sneaking out, then why did you turn on the white noise generator?" Jim asked.

Blair ducked his head and said, "Oh I forgot about that. Look You guys started arguing over me and I was sitting right here. Didn't either of you care what I had to say about it?"

"Of course we care baby. It's not my fault he was being pigheaded and unwilling to listen to me," Naomi stated.

"Me? Now wait a minute you…" Jim started but was cut off.

"See there you two go again. I figured if I left you two would have to stop arguing to come find me. Am I gonna have to go farther and find someplace better to hide so that you two will stop? I mean it. Quit fighting, please," Blair said as he stood and started pacing the room.

Jim stood up and halted Blair's pacing. "Hey, hey kiddo stop. Look I'm sorry and I'm sure your mom is sorry, too. We will try not to fight for the rest of your Mom's visit alright?" Jim asked as he held Blair by his arms.

Blair nodded. "I guess that's all I can ask is that you try," he said and then sighed.

Naomi got up and Jim let her turn Blair towards her. "We will try baby," she said and then hugged him. "Alright now why don't we go catch up sweetheart and Jim can join us if he wants," Naomi said and smiled figuring the matter was over and done with.

"Not yet Naomi. Blair and I have something to discuss in his room first," Jim said as he laid a hand on Blair's shoulder.

Blair groaned softly. "Hey Jim, uhm could I talk to you a minute?" he asked.

"Alright," Jim said and let Blair lead him to his room.

Blair shut the door, then stood against it and looked at Jim. "Jim, couldn't we please wait until Mom leaves? Please. If you think she's throwing a fit over me now, she will really throw a fit if you spank me," Blair said whispering the one word so only Jim could hear him.

"Come here Chief. Look, I would really like to wait, but kiddo, it'd just make it harder on the both of us when she left. No, I think it'd be best if we got this over with now. You wait here and I will try to get here to go out somewhere, but if I can't this is still going to  
happen," Jim explained as he sat on the bed and had Blair sit next to him.

Blair sighed and nodded. "Ok Jim," he said.

Jim patted Blair on the shoulder, got up and left the room. He looked over at Naomi, who was still sitting on the couch, and said, "Hey, we're gonna be discussing a few more things, do you wanna go to the store and get some things for breakfast in the morning? I have some stuff, but not enough for the three of us. I got some money right here," Jim said hoping to get here out of the house for half an hour.

"Oh I don't eat much. Just half a grapefruit is fine for me, but if you need me to get a few extra things for you and Blair I don't mind," Naomi said as she looked towards Blair's door. "Are you sure Blair has to stay? He could go with me," Naomi said.

"No, I need him to stay here with me. Here I'll jot down a quick list," Jim said as he walked over to the kitchen and grabbed an envelope and a pen out of the drawer. He made a rather long list knowing they didn't need half the things on there. "There that ought  
to do it. Here's the money and the list," Jim said as he handed Naomi both things.

"This is a quick list of a few things? Alright, I'll try to hurry," Naomi said as she headed towards the door.

"No need to hurry take your time," Jim said.

Naomi left finally and Jim thought about what Blair had done for a moment. He sighed and headed upstairs. He came back down a moment later with his brush in his back pocket. He went into Blair's room and found Blair still sitting on his bed. "Alright Chief, she's gone, let's get this done before she gets back," Jim said as he put the brush on Blair's nightstand and sat on the bed next to Blair.

"Are you using the brush?" Blair asked without looking up.

"Yeah Chief I am. Do you know why?" Jim asked as he rubbed Blair's back.

Blair nodded and looked up, his eyes bright with tears. "Because I left the loft without leaving a note or telling you. Something could've happened to me and you would've never known, especially if I was taken," Blair said.

"That's right kiddo. Alright stand up and jeans down," Jim told him.

Blair sighed and stood up. He went to unbutton his jeans and hesitated. "Jim do I really have to?" he asked.

"You know you do Chief. Especially when I'm using the brush. Come on kiddo, you don't want your mom walking in on it do you?" Jim asked.

"No way," Blair said. He unbuttoned his jeans and shoved them to the floor and then laid over Jim's lap.

Jim stroked Blair's back a moment, and then tugged his boxers down. He landed the first swat and heard the small gasp from the teen. He began to land swat after painful swat to Blair's backside.

Blair began to squirm as his backside began to quickly heat up. He buried his face into his arm and began to cry as more and more swats were applied. Just when he was about to reach back to stop Jim for a moment, Jim stopped. Blair began to choke down his sobs knowing Jim was reaching for the brush, but wanted to calm himself a little. He was shocked when Jim's hand lightly touched his backside and stayed there. Blair slowly lifted his head and turned it to look over his shoulder. He immediately buried his head in his arms when he saw his mother standing in his doorway mouth gaping open as she stared at was going on.

"What are you doing to my baby?" Naomi asked.

"Naomi, get out. We'll be out in a minute," Jim stated quietly.

"No, you leave him alone and let him up," Naomi ordered.

Jim nodded and raised both hands. "You can go if you want, Darwin," he said.

Blair shook his head. "I can't Jim, just get it over with please," Blair said as he lifted his head a bit so his mother could hear him as well.

"Baby you can't mean that. He's… he's," Naomi started.

"I do mean it. I know what he's doing, just please leave Mom," Blair said with his face still turned away from his mother.

Naomi stood there stunned a few more minutes, then backed out of the room and shut the door. She went across the room to the couch, sat down and buried her face in her hands.

"Blair, are you ok?" Jim questioned when the were alone.

Blair laid his head back on his arms and nodded. "I'm fine Jim, just… just get it over with please," Blair pleaded.

Jim nodded, stroked Blair's back a few minutes and then picked up the brush from the nightstand. He laid it against Blair's backside to let him know what was coming. He lifted it, and then landed a hard swat to the rosy backside in front of him.

Naomi's head shot up when she heard the loud sob come from Blair's room. She was up and at Blair's door in a minute. She didn't open the door nor go in. She stood there and listened to each swat and each heart-wrenching sob from her child.

Blair sobbed into his arms as the brush landed again. It took him a few minutes to realize that the brush wasn't landing on his backside anymore. He began to try to control his sobbing.

"Shh, it's alright Chief. It's over with and you're forgiven. Breathe Junior," Jim said as he ran his hand across Blair's back. He stood them both up after a minute helping Blair to get his pants and boxers back in place and then held the boy in his arms rubbing his hand up and down Blair's back.

The door to Blair's room opened and Naomi walked in. "I don't understand you," Naomi started her voice thick with tears. "You beat him and somehow convinced him to let you do it. You brainwashed him into thinking it was ok, because he wanted you to finish whatever that means and now you stand there holding him and comforting him like you care," Naomi said her voice more angry than when she began.

Blair wanted to tell his mother that she was wrong about everything that she had said, but he couldn't form the words while he was still trying to calm down. "Mom," he said his voice thick and raspy. He tried to get more out, but he was suddenly jerked from Jim's warm and comforting embrace. Blair found himself held tightly against his mother's chest. Her arms were wrapped tightly around him and he couldn't make out what she was saying at all. He began to push away from his mother till she finally released him.

"Naomi…" Jim started but stopped when Blair held up a hand. He nodded and said, "I'll be out here when you're done."

Blair nodded and watched Jim leave his room. He went to speak but his mother cut him off.

"Blair sweetie are you alright? What did he do to you? Well I know what he was doing when I walked in, but what else has he done? Never mind it doesn't matter. I'm leaving in a couple of days and you'll be coming with me. He won't hurt you anymore baby," Naomi said as she pulled Blair to her again and wrapped her arms around him.

Every time Blair went to speak, Naomi had cut him off with another question. He finally just let her talk till she was done. When she talked about leaving, Blair pushed away. "Mom, I'm not leaving. I like living here with Jim. I don't want to leave," Blair told her.

"What? Oh baby what has he done to you. If you were thinking rationally you would agree with me," Naomi said as she held his face in her hands.

Blair gently pulled his mother's hands away from his face. "Mom sit down." Blair watched her sit and then shook his head when she patted the spot next to her. "Nooo. No thank you. I'll stand," he said and chuckled a little.

"This is what I don't understand. How can you joke about it?" Naomi asked.

"If you'll just listen, I'll explain things to you. Ok now I know that what you walked in on was a little stressful for you, but I'm fine," Blair said and then shook his head at his mother's look. "Yeah sitting is not an option at the moment, but by tomorrow it'll be tolerable. Besides, Jim'll probably put a pillow on my chair again."

"Again? You mean this isn't the first time he's done this?" Naomi asked.

"No, and it most likely won't be the last. Look Mom when I first came to live here Jim told me the rules and the consequences if I broke those rules. Mom, I was sent to a foster home before Jim took me in. I won't tell you what they did to me, because it is a lot worse than anything Jim has ever done. The worse thing Jim has ever done to me Mom is whacked my butt with that…mmmph hairbrush," Blair said growling when he talked about the hairbrush.

Jim couldn't help listening in. Blair hadn't told him he couldn't and when Blair got to the part about the hairbrush, Jim had to keep himself from laughing out loud.

"Baby, what did they do to you?" Naomi asked.

Blair shook his head. "No Mom, that's one place I'm not going right now. Another time, but not now. Now what I did tonight, it's against one of Jim's rules. I left the house without letting anyone know where I was going. That's why you walked in on what you walked in on. I also put myself in danger, which means…" Blair tried to finish but was cut off by his mother.

"The hairbrush?" Naomi asked.

"Yeah. I know you don't like the whole corporal punishment thing, but Jim knows how far to take it and when to stop. He makes it so I can't sit down for a bit, but he's never left a bruise on me. He loves me Mom and that's why he takes care of me afterwards. So lay off of him alright? No more fighting," Blair said as he finally walked over to his mother.

"Alright baby. I'll try," Naomi told him as she stood and gathered him in her arms.

"Thanks Mom. That's all I ask," Blair told her as he laid his head on her shoulder.

The next morning Jim was the first one up. He had given Naomi his room and slept on the couch. He put his robe on and went to start breakfast. A few minutes later, the door to Blair's room opened and the teen came trudging out. He groaned, threw a hand up as a wave to Jim and then trudged down the hall to the bathroom. Jim chuckled at the sight of a barely awake Blair.

When Blair walked back towards the kitchen, he veered off into his room, then came out a moment later with his robe on. He flopped down in a chair at the table, and suddenly jumped up, hissed in pain and rubbed at his backside.

Jim was next to Blair instantly. "Forgot about last night didn't ya Chief?" Jim asked as he drew Blair into his arms and chuckled softly.

"Yeah," Blair said laying his head on Jim's shoulder and rubbed at his backside with one hand.

Jim chuckled again, patted Blair on the back and said, "I must not have made a good enough impression. Maybe I need to give a repeat of it this morning."

Blair jerked away from Jim wide-eyed. "Oh you did. Believe me. No repeats necessary," Blair told him as he backed away chuckling nervously.

Jim laughed loudly, pulled Blair back over to him and ruffled his hair. "I didn't think so. Go get a pillow kid, breakfast is almost done," Jim told him.

Naomi stood at the top of the stairs and watched as the two interacted. She knew Blair was happy here, but as she watched them, she felt something niggling inside her head whispering negative thoughts. Blair didn't need her. He didn't depend on her anymore. He

didn't love her. She walked down the stairs and smiled as Blair looked up at her with a grin. It would be easier to get Blair to come with her if he didn't like living with Jim.


End file.
